Horizon
by JolinarJackson
Summary: Again, there are murders being committed in Torchwood's name. This time, UNIT seems to be mixed up in it as well. The strain on the team increases when Jack and Ianto's relationship faces a crisis, only made worse by Ianto discovering that he's pregnant.
1. Chapter 1

**Horizon**

_**Author's Note: The warnings for this story contain spoilers. Skip them if you want to, but I should tell you that this story is m-preg and warn you that it's pretty dark in some places.**_

_Word Count: _~ 64.000

_Summary: _There are murders being committed in Torchwood's name – again. Only this time, UNIT seems to be mixed up in it as well. All leads point towards _Project Horizon_, a collaboration between UNIT and Torchwood One that was dropped decades ago. The strain on the team increases when Jack and Ianto's relationship faces a crisis, only made worse by Ianto discovering that he's pregnant. With UNIT refusing to give any details about _Project Horizon_ and Martha and Owen caught between the frontiers when Ianto decides to keep the baby, can Torchwood find the killer with the unexpected assistance of John Hart?

_Characters: _Ianto Jones, Jack Harkness, Owen Harper, Toshiko Sato, Gwen Cooper, John Hart, Martha Jones, Rhys Williams, Doctor (10), Andy Davidson, OCs

_Pairing: _Jack/Ianto, Ianto/John Hart, Gwen/Rhys, Jack/Doctor (hinted), Jack/John Hart (unrequited), Martha Jones/Doctor (unrequited)

_Rating: _R

_Spoiler: Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Meat, Reset, Dead Man Walking, A Day In The Death, Adam_ / Doctor Who: _Rise Of The Cybermen, The Age Of Steel, Army Of Ghosts, Doomsday, Utopia, The Sound Of Drums, The Last Of The Time Lords, Partners In Crime_

_Setting: _starts after _A Day In The Death_

_Warnings: _miscarriage, violence, torture, pregnant person in danger, talk about abortion, talk about canon character death, language

_Contains: _Sex, m-preg

_Author's Note:_ Written for tw_classic_bb. I planned on writing this for so long it feels like forever. To finally have done so is a huge relief.

_Beta:_ danian beta'ed the English version and Inja Morgan the German one. Both of you have been so, so fantastic and fast and patient with me. Thank you! Also, Eleanor Harkness-Jones checked the summary on a very, very short notice.

_Disclaimer: _I'm not making money with this fanfic. The tv-shows _Doctor Who_ and _Torchwood _and the characters appearing within them belong to their producers and creators. Any similarities to living or dead persons are purely coincidental and not intended.

xxx

**PART 1: The End Of The Road**

**1.**

Jack Harkness didn't see himself as an unreasonable man. In his long, immortal life, he'd learned that change was necessary to move on and that he should at least listen to someone giving him advice or asking him for a favour. He could be convinced to see things in a different way if the reasons he was given were sound.

But when General Todd Leslie – Torchwood liaison officer for UNIT – sent Jack an e-mail early on a Monday morning that, aside from a huge pile of paperwork on his desk, had started out quite well actually, and asked him for something he called "a tiny favour", Jack's answer was clear. And when he called Leslie to give him a piece of his mind and only his secretary Ricardo answered, Jack's mood went from slightly irritated to downright foul. "No," he said and got up from his chair, putting one hand on his hip in a stance that made him look determined and not to be swayed. Unfortunately, it didn't work via the phone.

"_He's already on his way, Captain Harkness,"_ Ricardo chirped. _"It was decided that-" _

"I want to speak to your boss," Jack interrupted him rudely.

Ianto chose that moment to appear in Jack's office door, a questioning look on his face and still in his coat. Snowflakes were dusting his shoulders and dark hair, giving Jack a hint as to how the weather top-side was looking. He waved Ianto closer.

Ricardo was just as adamant as Jack, telling him for the fourth time, _"I'm afraid General Leslie is in a meeting."_

"I don't care. Do you have any idea who you're talking to? This is important. I want to speak to Leslie, now!"

"_The General left firm instructions not to be dis-"_

"I'm not in the mood, Ricardo. You sound like a nice, intelligent boy. Now get me General Leslie or I swear to the Gods ..."

At this point, the phone was snatched from Jack's hand and Ianto, bent towards Jack's side of the desk, took over with a charming smile and a calm voice. "Good morning, Ricardo! This is Ianto." He laughed. "Yes, he can be that way."

Jack scowled and his now free hand mirrored its counterpart on his hip. Ianto came around the desk, shushing Jack with a finger on his lips when he wanted to complain.

Jack pointed in accusation to the e-mail displayed on his computer screen. A Dr. Reuben Peralta "would be pleased" to use the Torchwood archives for his current research on various projects. Jack was annoyed that UNIT hadn't even asked them if it was alright to invite the good doctor over. They just took command, like they always did, treating his Hub as their own. To make matters worse, the visit was announced on short notice. Peralta was due to arrive this afternoon.

Ianto said, "I see. The problem is that this visit wasn't cleared with us beforehand. I'm sure it's a misunderstanding. It would really help my Captain if he could talk to your General." He smiled. "You know how those military men are."

Jack glared.

"Right. Thank you, Ricardo." Ianto handed the phone back and Jack could hear the annoying melody of the on-hold music sounding out of it. "He's going to ask the General to step out of the meeting for a few minutes." Ianto leaned up and kissed Jack's lips. Jack's free hand cupped one freshly shaven, smooth cheek and then Ianto pulled away. "Good morning." With that, he left for the coffee machine. Jack watched him go and sank back into his chair with a smile.

He didn't have to wait for long, since only a minute later, General Leslie barked into the receiver, _"Captain Harkness, you couldn't wait for an hour?"_

Jack pulled his eyes away from Ianto making coffee and focused on the phone. "Listen, General, with all due respect to our treaty … I'd like to have some kind of warning before you send one of your men over here."

"_Dr. Peralta was very insistent."_

"He could have called, asked for permission … this is still Torchwood property. Surely I don't have to remind you of our right to refuse him access?"

Leslie sighed deeply and his voice became less aggressive and more persuasive. _"Frankly, Captain, Peralta took this out of my hands. Before I knew it, I had signed the necessary papers and had Ricardo send you an e-mail. Peralta is a bit … difficult to handle but a genius, so we need him."_

"I don't hear a reason for me to let him into my base."

"_Do me that favour, Captain. Please. One more week with that pain in the ass in my department and I'll surely shoot him."_

Despite his anger, Jack had to stifle a laugh. "The only things he'll have access to are the archives and the medical database," he said.

"_Agreed,"_ Leslie answered.

"He won't cut into current investigations and I don't have any responsibility whatsoever for his life when he decides to interfere."

"_Copy that. He just needs a week, Captain. After that, you're free. And I'll owe you one because if he finds what he's looking for in your archives, he'll finally leave my department and will join the UNIT base in Nevada."_

"Yay for you," Jack answered.

"_Indeed,"_ Leslie said and hung up.

xxx

The early mornings before the others arrived were always the best in Ianto's opinion. Everything in the main Hub was still calm, the only sounds the water trickling down the sculpture in the middle of the cavernous room and the squawks of Myfanwy coming from her nest high above the floor. Owen, Gwen and Tosh's desks seemed strangely abandoned, but Ianto knew that would change soon. It was a bit chilly down here, Ianto decided, and made a mental note to turn up the heating later as Gwen and Tosh would without a doubt complain. The water coming from the outside and running down the sculpture through the Hub's roof smelled fresh and snowy, filling the Hub with a crisp air. This morning, only one month before Christmas, Cardiff had awoken to the first snow of the year.

Ianto was adding milk to Jack's coffee, when two strong arms wrapped around his waist and Jack's body heat embraced him. "What would I do without you?" Jack asked and nudged Ianto's arse, reminding him of the fact that they hadn't been able to meet up for the last few nights because Jack had wanted all of them to go home and get some sleep ... or in Owen's case, watch a season of _Lost._ It had been an exhausting week. Ianto had invited Jack along each night but he'd refused. Ianto hadn't pushed, Jack needed some time to himself every once in a while. Ianto didn't take it personally and Jack always made up for it. It worked. _They_ worked.

Lately, Ianto had caught himself thinking that thought more than once. He wondered if he should step up their relationship some more. Dating and sleeping in each other's bed had been fine for the past eight months, but Torchwood took away a lot of the time they were supposed to spend together. The first time that Ianto had caught himself thinking that moving in together would be nice had been a few months ago. By now, that thought had taken on a life of its own and it strained against the bonds of Ianto's knowledge that Jack would refuse, that he would only set himself up for getting hurt.

But then again, in moments like this, it didn't seem that unrealistic.

Ianto handed Jack his coffee over his shoulder. "You would certainly learn to live without me."

Jack took the mug, keeping one arm wrapped around him, and Ianto turned around in the embrace. Jack sipped his coffee. "Hardly." Then he captured Ianto's lips in a lingering kiss, involving just a bit of tongue, indicating that the time for self-imposed loneliness was over.

"Should I get one of the guest quarters ready?" Ianto asked.

"Will he sleep here?" Jack asked, pained.

"Did you even read the e-mail? Or did you just call in a huff as soon as you saw that we'd have an unexpected guest?"

Jack sighed. "Kinda," he admitted.

"Tch," Ianto tutted with a smile and rightened Jack's collar. "He wants personal quarters in this base because he tends to work late into the night and early in the morning."

"Oh, joy! Well, he'll certainly have to expect me to run around naked at night because this is _my_ place."

Ianto laughed. "You never run around naked, Jack."

"I just might," Jack grumbled. Then he grinned lewdly, his blue eyes twinkling. "Who knows? He might like it." His hand strayed to Ianto's arse almost subconsciously while he answered, "Yes, get one of the quarters ready. The most hideous one you can find."

Ianto made a show of being insulted. "Excuse me? I refurbished those quarters while you were gone. None of them is hideous."

"The smallest one, then," Jack corrected himself.

xxx

When the team arrived, Jack summoned them all into the boardroom. Ianto had prepared coffee and some pastries, knowing that at least Gwen loved to snack first thing when she arrived. True to his predictions, she was the first who fell into her seat next to Jack at the head at the table and snagged a Danish. Tosh took her time to settle in the seat next to Ianto before she grabbed a bagel from the plate. Owen just glared at the pastries. Ianto felt a bit bad for laying them out like that. Owen had quite liked them before … Ianto sighed. Before he'd become a dead man walking. Literally.

Jack was looking gravely around, ignoring the pastries. A sign of his annoyance. "We'll have a guest from UNIT arriving this afternoon."

Gwen's face brightened immediately. "Martha?"

"No, unfortunately not."

Owen's dark eyes were still looking longingly from the mug of coffee in Tosh's hands to the pastries and back again. "Who is it then?"

"Dr. Reuben Peralta," Jack answered.

At Owen's questioningly raised eyebrow, Ianto chipped in, "He's a specialist in the field of regenerative medicine using alien technology. Not that that's any use since he can't practice his methods openly, but UNIT's quite proud of his achievements."

Owen muttered, "Wiki-Ianto." He earned himself a glare for that.

Jack continued, "He's going to do some research in our archives and medical database. Ianto and Owen will have the honour of being his contact persons."

"Yay!" Owen said with a bored sigh.

"He'll be gone after a week. Maybe sooner if we're lucky."

Gwen narrowed her green eyes, watching Jack closely. "You don't want him here."

Tosh nodded at her and addressed Jack, "You don't trust him."

"I don't," Jack said, "because he's UNIT. Martha's different, because I know her, but that guy … General Leslie seemed eager to get rid of him and he's not easy to annoy."

Under his breath, Ianto added, "As proven by the fact that UNIT assigned him to deal with you."

Jack mock-glared at him, but a smile was tugging at his lips. "So, we value our relationship with UNIT." It was obvious he didn't. "Let's play nice and maybe this will be over before the week's up."

xxx

Dr. Reuben Peralta seemed to be in his late fifties. It was obvious that he looked after himself. His body was muscular and his short, grey hair made his handsome face only more distinguished. Ianto had heard Gwen and Tosh giggle over his picture and whisper something about George Clooney and he thought that they weren't that far off. Peralta smiled at him, showing off perfect teeth, and thanked the cab driver before joining Ianto at the edge of Roald Dahl Plass. "Mr. Jones, I presume?" he asked. His voice was deep and smooth.

"That's quite right," Ianto answered. "Hello, Dr. Peralta. Welcome to Cardiff."

Peralta looked around, smiling at the impressive Millennium Centre and the crowded Plass where tourists and natives were going about their business. A thin sheet of snow covered the pavement and the steps leading down into the well of the Plass, but it had stopped snowing quite some time ago. The landmark water tower reflected the winter sun. Ianto led Peralta down to the edge of the bay, allowing him a minute to take in the crisp sea air, before he directed him to the tourist office nestled into one of the pier's corners.

"I heard you were using a tourist office as a cover," Peralta said with a smile when Ianto unlocked the door and led him inside. "I thought it was a joke."

"It isn't," Ianto answered and locked the door behind them. The office would stay closed today. He didn't have much time to man it anymore. Not since he'd become a fully fledged field agent. Sometimes he missed it, though. Missed organizing the pamphlets and catalogues on the shelves or dusting off all the tid-bits tourists would buy as a memory of their visit.

He pushed the red button hidden underneath the counter and led Peralta through the hidden passageway to the elevator.

"This is astonishing," Peralta said. "How did this base develop?"

"I could give you the files."

"That would be lovely."

While they waited for the elevator to take them down, Ianto said, "The Captain sends his regards. Unfortunately, a Weevil incident came up so he can't be here to welcome you."

Peralta chuckled. "I bet he was crushed."

When the entrance gate rolled aside to lead them into the main Hub, Ianto motioned for Peralta to go first. Peralta looked around the cavernous space curiously, his eyes following the water tower up to the ceiling high above them. "Quite impressive."

"We like it," Ianto said with a nod.

They ascended the stairs leading them to the working area. Gwen and Tosh were already waiting near Tosh's desk.

Peralta smiled brightly at them. "But not as impressive as the ladies." He caught first Tosh then Gwen's hand for a kiss. "I wish we had such beautiful women at UNIT. You make me consider a permanent transfer."

Gwen said, "Aw."

Tosh blushed and tucked a few errant strands of dark hair behind her ears.

Ianto took it upon himself to introduce them, "Gwen Cooper and Toshiko Sato. Our doctor Owen Harper went with the Captain. I'm sure they'll be back soon."

Peralta said, "I certainly hope so."

"I'll show you to your room," Ianto suggested and Peralta nodded. Just before they left the main Hub, Ianto looked over his shoulder at Gwen and Tosh and they rolled their eyes at him. Gwen mouthed _'Too much!'_ and Tosh agreed with a vigorous nod.


	2. Chapter 2

**2.**

When Jack and Owen returned from their Weevil hunt, Peralta was already deeply immersed in research in the archives. He used Ianto's desk that was squeezed between the wall and the first row of shelves. Jack didn't like it. This area was as much Ianto's place as the tourist office was and the thought of a stranger sitting in the chair Ianto usually occupied was disconcerting. Peralta was sitting with his back to Jack so that all Jack could see about him at the moment was that he wore his grey hair short and that he wore a dark sweater fitting his athletic form.

Jack watched him from the door for a few minutes, then he cleared his throat and approached the desk.

Peralta turned to look at him and beamed. "Captain Harkness." He got up and offered Jack a hand, which he accepted reluctantly.

Jack had to admit that Peralta was indeed very handsome. "Doctor, how are you settling in?"

"Just fine, fine," Peralta answered with a look at the folders he'd spread out on the desk. "I'm already quite intrigued by the vast knowledge you've stashed down here."

"Well," Jack said, burying his hands in his trouser pockets, "we've been here for a while."

"Indeed." Peralta grinned. "Indeed."

"I hope your room's alright?"

"Oh, I don't need much. And even if I did … your Mr. Jones seems to be quite capable of taking care of guests."

Jack couldn't suppress a smile. Ianto was good at taking care of pretty much everyone. "He is. So ..." Curiously, he stepped closer to the desk, eyeing the files and the computer screen, where a search engine was running through the database. "What's so interesting in our archives that roused your attention?"

"Oh," Peralta said with a smile. "Well, I decided that I need a new pet project. My regenerative medicine is pretty much in the hands of my staff now, so I want something new and exciting. I did some poking into male pregnancy and aphrodisiacs, but I thought maybe you had something with more of a … thrill?"

Something in Peralta's gaze unsettled Jack. "Did you have any particular idea?"

Peralta nodded. "I was thinking … immortality."

Jack's face darkened. "No such luck." He hated that UNIT knew about his immortality. It was a part of his life he just couldn't come to terms with and he felt that nobody but those he chose to tell should know about it. Unfortunately, a former Torchwood Three leader had contacted UNIT and told them about Jack's predicament. He'd spent three years in the 70s being poked and prodded by UNIT doctors and only the chance of finding the Doctor through Torchwood had kept him from quitting the team and running away. At least he hadn't been a prisoner locked up in a laboratory. The UNIT doctors had been quite friendly, too. Of course, they hadn't been able to determine why he was immortal. Not that Jack had expected them to. While he'd waited, he'd known that it had something to do with the Doctor, or at least with his time machine. He knew the TARDIS had a direct link to the time vortex … she must have changed something within him. He'd spent decades hoping the Doctor would be able to fix him. By now, he knew that the Doctor couldn't do anything and if a Time Lord was unable to, everyone was. So he lived with it, reluctantly, burying one friend after another. He knew that he would bury his team as well one day. He really hoped that day wouldn't come for a long time, yet.

Peralta frowned. "But, Captain-"

"Back off!" Jack snapped. "I won't be used as a guinea pig again. And I wouldn't wish immortality on anyone. So just drop it."

With that, he turned away and left.

xxx

"I should have known that there'd be an ulterior motive," Jack said and sipped his water.

The pub was rather busy, but the five of them had managed to snag their favourite table in a corner of the room. Here, they could unwind after a hectic day and even talk about Torchwood business without drawing unwanted attention. The pub was popular, so it was always crowded, always loud enough to drown out their voices.

Jack swallowed and let his eyes roam through the room, catching a glimpse of Ianto and Tosh at the bar, getting another round. Ianto had changed into jeans, a red pullover and trainers after Jack had asked him to. Usually, he stayed in his suit even when they were going out for a drink, but tonight, Jack wanted him in casual clothes. He planned to take him back to his flat and strip him naked without worrying about the expensive suit.

He turned back to Owen and Gwen sitting opposite him. "There's always an ulterior motive where UNIT is concerned."

Gwen looked up from her mobile and tucked her long, dark hair behind her ears. "You could just complain to General Leslie."

Owen snorted. "Yeah, because that wouldn't make him look like a five-year old running to his mum at all."

"I'm just saying." Gwen focussed on the text she intended to send to Rhys again. Jack's eyes strayed to her engagement ring and he smiled. The both of them still seemed to be living in soon-to-be-wed bliss.

Owen shrugged. "Maybe I can give him a hint. I mean, I'm your doctor and I know for a fact that your immortality has got nothing to do with anything a doctor or a scientist can explain. I could tell him that. Give him the files from the 70s."

Jack shook his head. "He seems like the type who won't let go just like that." He narrowed his eyes. "And I don't want him to see my files." He'd gotten them from UNIT in the 80s through not very legal measures that involved one of UNIT's cutest archivists and handcuffs. They were safely stored in Torchwood's secure archives. UNIT didn't seem to miss them. With a bit of luck, they would never want to open the file Harkness again.

"Now you really do sound like a five year old," Owen said with a grin and a bit of the humorous sparkle that had lived in his brown eyes before his semi-dead state returned.

Gwen put her mobile down on the table when Tosh and Ianto arrived with their drinks. Ianto dropped onto the bench next to Jack, while Tosh squeezed in next to Gwen and Owen. Jack took the beer Ianto had brought him with one hand and wrapped the other arm around Ianto's back, his fingers sneaking underneath the sweater to touch warm skin. His fingertips dipped underneath Ianto's waistband.

Ianto looked at him. "Overeager, aren't you?"

Jack leaned in close and breathed Ianto in before answering softly, "It's been a while." Ianto turned his head and Jack pecked his lips.

Owen made a gagging noise. "If I wasn't already dead …," he grumbled.

Gwen nudged him with her elbow. "Stop it, I think it's sweet."

"Oh, yeah, it's so sweet. Before we know it, they'll be moving in together, giving fabulous dinner parties and becoming civil partners," Owen continued mockingly.

Ianto's eyes slid away from Jack's and he took his own pint, sipping slowly. Jack felt him tense up and curled his hand around Ianto's hip.

Tosh frowned at Owen. "What would be so bad about that?"

"We're Torchwood," Owen answered. He looked at Jack pointedly. "Sweet just isn't for us." It got deathly quiet around the table. Then Gwen's mobile beeped. She ignored it. Owen cleared his throat. "I killed the mood now. Sorry about that." He didn't sound sorry.

Gwen snapped, "Just because you're miserable doesn't mean we all have to be."

Jack raised one hand. "Gwen." She looked at him and he shook his head. _'Don't be too hard on him.' _He'd been alive long enough and had had enough low points to know that, sooner or later, Owen would realize that hurting others wasn't lessening his own pain. His jabs had been pointier and meaner over the last few days – ever since Martha had returned to UNIT and Owen's situation had really caught up with him. Jack was willing to give him a few more days to pull himself together, after that, though, he would take him aside for a chat.

His hand squeezed Ianto to him, knowing Owen's words had struck something because Ianto kept avoiding everyone's eyes and instead was overly occupied with the menu. Jack decided to just pretend nothing had happened. "Peralta isn't going to get me as a lab rat. And, Owen, I want you to avoid him finding out about you. If he doesn't find anything of interest, he'll be gone by the end of the week and we can get back to normal."

xxx

Ianto's breathing was ragged and fast in Jack's ear, his fingers tight around Jack's cock and clenched in the sheets. Jack tightened his legs around Ianto's waist, urging him to go faster, harder, deeper, winding his fingers through Ianto's hair, pulling him in for a kiss. His orgasm was approaching fast and he whispered Ianto's name as he came and felt Ianto shudder through his own orgasm. Ianto's body went slack and sank down on Jack's. Jack wrapped his arms around him, running calming hands up and down the sweaty back.

They spent the next minutes in silence, then Ianto pulled away. He reached down a hand as he stood. Jack smiled at him.

The hot water of the shower made Ianto's skin slick, seducing Jack into placing several kisses along Ianto's jawline and down his neck to his shoulder. He slid his arms around him and settled one hand on the swell of Ianto's arse. Ianto chuckled and slicked his dark, wet hair back from his forehead. Then he kissed Jack's lips. Jack saw something brooding in Ianto's bright eyes: a thought, a question, a problem … Jack didn't know what exactly it was but he could see that it distracted Ianto a bit. "Alright?" he asked.

Ianto smiled. "Right now? Perfect." He leaned in to kiss Jack again. His tongue pushed into Jack's mouth, bringing hot water with it. Jack pulled Ianto closer and changed the angle of their kiss a bit to avoid swallowing more water. His thumb rubbed Ianto's flushed cheek tenderly. He broke reluctantly away after a while and shut off the water.

They changed the sheets together and Ianto put on dark pyjama bottoms which rode deliciously low on his hips, accentuating his pale skin, before falling into bed and pulling the duvet up. He closed his eyes tiredly. Jack picked up his pants and put them on, then his trousers. Ianto opened his eyes when Jack buttoned up his shirt. He frowned. "What are you doing?"

"I'm sleeping at the Hub," Jack answered. "I have to keep an eye on Peralta."

"All essential doors are locked. You even had me searching for the key to your desk drawer, Jack."

"I don't trust him."

Ianto sat up in bed. "I'll come with you."

"Don't be silly." Jack sat on the edge of the bed. He kissed Ianto, one of his hands settling low on his hip to play with the waistband of the pyjama bottoms. Ianto's fingers curled around Jack's braces, tugging him closer. Jack obeyed and kissed Ianto's lips. "Besides," he added, "I forgot to bring my overnight bag."

"You shouldn't need an overnight bag," Ianto answered.

Jack smiled and tilted his head. "I shouldn't?"

"Not if you started leaving some of your stuff here." Ianto's eyes avoided Jack's and his intent was suddenly crystal clear. This had been the problem he'd been distracted by.

Jack sighed deeply. "Is this because of what Owen said?"

Ianto shrugged. "A bit."

"Well, stop worrying about it. He's just bitter. You know how he can get. Especially now."

"Is that a no?" Ianto asked with a frown. "Because … well, it's just a few clothes in my drawers and your toothbrush in my bathroom."

"Is it just that?" Jack asked with narrowed eyes. "Or are you asking me to move in with you?"

Ianto's eyes flinched away, focussing on the wall, the closet, the red duvet, the shadows the orange street lamps were throwing against his curtains … everything but Jack. "What's so wrong about that?"

"Nothing. Just …" He cupped Ianto's cheek. "I don't think we're ready."

"I think we're ready. We've known each other long enough."

Jack closed his eyes. "I don't think so. Sorry." He got up and put on his coat, the old wool settling on his shoulders like a friendly arm.

"Why?" Ianto asked.

Jack didn't turn around to him. He couldn't look at Ianto right now. "You're making this complicated."

"Well, tough. We're adults, Jack. Adult relationships are complicated."

Jack turned around and pointed one finger at Ianto in anger. "Don't you start to be all condescending with me."

"I'm not. I'm just … I'm not asking for anything big, Jack, just … for you to spend more time with me. I know you said we'd date but we barely manage that. There's just always something in the way. If you moved in, we could spend more time together without all that. And let's face it: you already spend half your nights here."

"Yeah, well, it won't work, Ianto."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't want to," Jack answered. He turned away when he saw hurt flicker across Ianto's boyish features. "Listen," he started and turned back to face Ianto again.

Ianto just shook his head. "No, I understand."

"I doubt you do. You couldn't possibly understand."

With that he left.

xxx

Gwen had had plans this morning. She'd wanted to get up and have breakfast with Rhys, then drive to work and stop by the small bakery they all favoured to get pastries for everyone.

Instead, she found herself being woken by Jack calling her on her mobile and only half an hour later she entered a house in the outskirts of Cardiff. Looking around, she felt as if she was visiting her grandmother. The place was cluttered with all kinds of kitsch and old-fashioned furniture. If it hadn't been for the police milling about, she would have expected a little old lady coming out of the kitchen, wearing an apron and carrying a tray of freshly baked biscuits.

As it was, the only person coming out of the kitchen was Jack, wearing his blue RAF greatcoat and a deep frown on his handsome face. He shooed aside a young PC and waved Gwen closer. Gwen took in his tired eyes and grim face. "You look awful."

"Not as awful as the victim," he answered, effectively telling her to leave him alone and focus on the job.

She stepped past him into the kitchen where Owen was crouched on the floor, examining a body. "He's having a bad hair day," Owen said, earning himself a disapproving glare from Jack.

Gwen had a closer look at the body. It was the corpse of a man, or at least she assumed that it was a man. His face was barely recognizable. His skull looked like it had been crushed. Gwen wished she hadn't eaten that sandwich on her way over here. She put a hand over her mouth. "Oh my God."

"Liam Humphries," Owen replied, "according to his drivers license. He was 71 years old when somebody decided to kill him last night."

Ianto appeared from behind Gwen. "I spoke to the neighbour who called it in this morning. She says that Mr. Humphries lived alone since his wife passed away two years ago. And she says that he and her were … tentatively building up to a date."

Owen snorted. "Well, she should have acted faster. Nobody will date this guy ever again."

Gwen swallowed some bile when she saw something that looked like brain matter smeared on the floor. "Who did this?"

Jack answered, "No human, no Weevil. That's for sure."

Owen pulled off his gloves. "I'll have to do an autopsy."

Tosh entered the kitchen, her PDA in her hand. "There was no Rift activity last night and I can't find any chronon particles in the air. Whatever happened, if the cause for his death came through the Rift, it has been here long enough to lose any indication of Rift travel."

Gwen frowned. "So how do we know it's a case for us?"

Jack took her hand. "Easy enough." He pulled her into the living room and pointed at a wall she hadn't paid attention to until now. She was shocked to find a message in black ink scrawled on the tapestry.

_Torchwood – this is your fault._


	3. Chapter 3

**3.**

Owen had the body back at the Hub in no time and – with Ianto's help – arranged him on the autopsy table in the med bay. Ianto left Owen to his own devices then and Owen revelled in the fact that he could focus on something other than his semi-death predicament. He ignored his splintered finger as well as he could while putting on the surgical gloves. The finger would never heal again. The deep cut in his hand would never heal again. The gunshot wound in his chest that had killed him wouldn't as well. He had to live with that. But even though he had no heartbeat, didn't feel pain or couldn't eat, he could still do his job and he focussed on doing it as well as possible. He didn't even hear Peralta near the med bay until he said, "This man met a nasty end."

Owen raised his eyes to look at Peralta, standing on the observation level looping around the well of the med bay. Then he continued the autopsy by removing the liver. "He did. Very nasty." That was all he had to say to Peralta.

He didn't seem to get the hint. "What's the cause of death?"

"I'm not sure yet."

"But you have a theory."

"Yes."

"Enlighten me."

Owen rolled his eyes. "I'm very cautious about speculating about such things." A lie. But he really didn't want to talk to Peralta. The man gave him the creeps. When he wasn't in the archives, he lingered around the main Hub as if he was watching them all. Owen had hidden away all their personal medical files, not sure if Peralta would come looking when they weren't here. It just wouldn't do for him to find out about Owen's zombie state or get any more intrigued about Jack's immortality. And he didn't want him to know about any of the things Gwen, Tosh and Ianto had gone through over the years.

"I'd say," Peralta replied, "his skull was crushed."

"Thanks, Sherlock," Owen snapped, "and do you happen to know how?"

"No."

"Then leave me alone. I have work to do."

A voice from the door interrupted them. "Dr. Peralta, I'm serving lunch now in the boardroom." Ianto smiled pleasantly. "Do you want to join us?"

Peralta smiled. "A very good idea. I'm starving, actually." He turned to leave, but when he realized that Owen gave no sign of following, he asked, "Won't you join us, Dr. Harper?"

"I'll eat later," Owen answered. Normally, he always at least sat with the team while they were eating. Now, he was worried it would tip Peralta off.

Ianto smoothly said, "Dr. Harper's busy. I'll keep something back for him to eat later." He led Peralta away, catching the thankful look Owen threw him and returning it with a smile.

xxx

Jack signed another form for the Prime Minister and then put his head in his hands. He'd turned the lights down low in his office, allowing shadows to creep into the corners of the Victorian brickwork. He tried for a moment to create some kind of order on his cluttered desk, but he soon stopped. Somehow, Jack felt tired. Ianto had done his best to avoid him all day and Peralta's presence in the archives had made it impossible for Jack to corner him down there and talk about the evening before. He didn't know if Ianto really understood what moving in with him would mean for Jack. His avoidance tactic made it glaringly obvious that he had no idea or was blinded by hurt. Jack knew that it must have been very hard for Ianto to tell Jack what he wanted out of their still so new relationship. He was normally very shy when it came to emotional things. Jack turning him down and walking out on him was bound to hurt him deeply. It would probably take some time until Jack could make him understand why he'd refused.

The door to his office opened and Ianto entered with a plate of biscuits and a mug. Jack noticed that he left the door wide open, a warning not to start explaining himself. Just this once, Jack wanted to ignore it. When Ianto set the plate and the mug down, Jack took his wrist and pulled him around the desk. He got up and cradled Ianto's hand against his chest, pressing a kiss to Ianto's lips. Ianto turned his head away.

"You don't understand," Jack said.

"Explain it to me, then."

Jack swallowed. "It's complicated."

"Isn't it always?"

"Ianto, you know damn well that I'm not cut out for this 21st century relationship thing."

"This has got nothing to do with the 21st century. Jack, you're making excuses. You always do. Every time something concerning our relationship comes up, you blame it on you being from the future." Ianto shook his head. "This is just about me and you."

"Yes, it is. And we're perfect right now, Ianto. What we have works out. Why do you want to change anything?"

"Why don't you? What's against making our relationship just that bit more real? I'm not asking you to marry me. I just want to spend time away from work with you. Not just every second or third evening. Not just for the occasional date."

"Because I really like you," Jack answered softly. He cupped Ianto's cheek. "Settling into a daily routine with you … if it works out, I would only come to like you more."

"That's good, right?"

"Good things have never lasted for me, Ianto," Jack whispered.

Ianto stared at him for a few moments, then he placed a firm kiss on Jack's lips. "And they never will if you don't start taking risks. I'm here now, Jack. I hate the fact that you're already grieving for me." With that he turned to go … and froze.

Jack became alert immediately and noticed Peralta standing at his office door. He frowned.

Peralta put on a hesitant smile. "Sorry about that. I didn't mean to interrupt."

"Doesn't matter," Jack said. He placed a hand on Ianto's back to nudge him towards the door. Ianto took the hint and left.

Peralta held up a file. "I was actually here to ask you about something."

Jack sat in his chair with a sigh, annoyed that Peralta had interrupted the talk between him and Ianto. "And what is that?"

"It says here in the notes of a certain Dr. Andrew Greenwood that he did some research into male pregnancy in the early 30s."

"He was the team's medic in 1932," Jack said with a nod. "Unfortunately, he died the same year after only five months of being an agent."

"Yes, very sad," Peralta answered rather disinterested, "but his file states that he researched male pregnancy on a subject."

Jack froze.

"You," Peralta finished.

Jack looked up at him. "I wasn't pregnant back then. He just looked at my bloodworks and did some tests with advanced technology that had come through the Rift." And he cursed himself for forgetting about the file, for forgetting to hide it.

Peralta's eyes lit up. "So it's true? You can get pregnant?"

"Theoretically, yes, but it's a very complicated procedure." That wasn't entirely true. It wasn't complicated in his time. It worked like in vitro fertilization. But it was close to impossible in the 21st century. He was the only human on Earth who had the necessary genes and nobody had the technology to impregnate him.

"That's interesting. I think it's very complicated, too, but I've researched male pregnancy for quite a while. It was never made public even among UNIT and Torchwood, but did you know that I had some success with test subjects?"

Jack's eyes narrowed. "How did you manage that?"

"Surgery, hormone therapy and a very complicated procedure in which I used denucleated eggs and sperm to merge the genetic make-up of two men. I don't want to bore you with details, but … I had to abandon the research after some difficulties. I would be delighted in taking it up again with you."

"No," Jack answered. "My immortality and my ability to carry children will not – and I make myself very clear: never – be part of your research. Do we understand each other?"

Peralta stared at him. For a moment, he looked as if he would protest, but then he just nodded. "Of course."

xxx

Tosh smiled at Ianto when she entered the tourist office through the secret door leading from the Hub. He was standing behind the counter, going through some catalogues. There was a frown on his face, marring the usually friendly expression. He seemed to be deep in thought since he hadn't even looked up when Tosh had entered, so she approached carefully and said softly, "Hey!"

He looked up, a bit startled and gifted her with an utterly fake smile before focussing on his task again. "Hey!"

"Are you alright?" she asked and leaned on the counter.

"Fine."

"Are you sure?" Tosh asked. Because she knew for sure that Ianto wasn't alright. The fact that he was here, sorting through catalogues for a tourist office he rarely opened, told her everything she needed to know. She hesitated for a moment, knowing that his and Jack's relationship was usually a difficult subject. "I couldn't help but notice that you and Jack seem kind of tense around each other."

Ianto sighed deeply, still engrossed with his task. "We're working through something."

Tosh bit her lip. "Something serious?"

He shrugged. "I don't know really. Maybe I'm too hard on him." He looked up at her then, questioningly. Tosh nodded attentively and he explained, "I asked him to move in with me."

"And he said no," Tosh answered.

Ianto nodded. "He said no and that I wouldn't understand. That he doesn't want to become closer to me because … he told me before, so I don't understand why I didn't see it coming. It's about him thinking that losing me will be harder when we get closer."

"Oh," Tosh replied. "That's harsh."

"Yes." Ianto shook his head with a deep sigh. "Doesn't matter."

She took his hand. "But it does." She didn't like that Ianto was holding so much of himself back in his relationship with Jack. She knew that he was smitten with him and she also could see that Jack adored Ianto, but emotionally, they were a mess of contradictive feelings. Especially Jack, who seemed haunted by his immortality on his best days. Sometimes, when he looked at them, Tosh wondered if he already saw them as the dead loved ones they would end up as. She felt for him, she really did. His life couldn't have been easy. But that didn't mean that he had to avoid deep feelings at all costs. "What are you planning to do now?"

Ianto ducked his head. "I don't know. He didn't say no because he doesn't feel that way about me, right? The problem's not really a lack of feelings. Just fear."

"But you want to make more out of the relationship," Tosh assumed.

The answer exploded out of Ianto as if he'd suppressed it for too long. "Is that so hard to understand? I feel like I'm always giving in to him and some part of me just wants him to see my side and to understand me and to … I don't know. Show me what this means to him. Make it official, somehow." He swallowed. "Our life is uncertain enough, our job is hard enough, I really don't need him already thinking about what will happen when I'm dead."

xxx

Gwen pushed the cake she'd bought during lunch time over the boardroom table towards Tosh when she sat down with her laptop. Tosh's eyes widened when she took in the white and pink dough, the creamy filling and the white icing. "Oh," she said.

Gwen nodded. "I know. Saw it in a bakery. Couldn't resist."

Tosh looked towards the door and bit her lip. "I shouldn't."

"You totally should. We get enough exercise by running around after Weevils and aliens." She bit into her piece of cake and closed her eyes. "Just forget the guys. They're eating junk food all day." And she certainly didn't know where Jack burned off all those calories. He always looked fantastic. It was unfair.

Tosh snatched a piece and bit into it. "Heaven."

"Right?"

The door opened and Jack entered. One glance at the table and he grinned wildly. "Cake!" With that he shovelled three pieces on a napkin and settled down at the head of the table.

"Greedy," Gwen tutted.

"What?" Jack asked, his mouth full. "I'm eating for two." He nodded towards the door.

Owen was standing there, scowling at him for the jab. "Very funny."

Gwen said, "Actually, you seem to be eating for three. Something you want to tell us, Jack?" She winked at him. It was common knowledge among the team that Jack could, theoretically, get pregnant. Owen seemed to enjoy the joke and showed a smile while he settled in his chair.

Jack just shrugged with a grin that showed off far too much of the cake in his mouth.

Gwen pulled a disgusted face, muttering, "Learn some manners."

Ianto entered with a tray and served coffee, while Owen prepared himself for the presentation of his findings. "That's the last thing we need," Owen said, adding to Gwen's joke. "Ianto knocking up Jack."

Gwen noticed that Ianto and Jack avoided each others eyes instead of coming up with a witty reply and felt that something must have happened between the two of them. Ianto sat down, ignoring the cake.

Owen activated the flatscreen on the wall behind Jack's seat at the head of the table. Jack turned around to give him his full attention and it got quiet, everyone settling into work mode. The picture showed the dead man – Liam Humphries. "I finished my autopsy," Owen said.

Gwen and Jack had had a closer look at Humphries's flat and about an hour ago, Gwen had given the team a summary of what they'd found there, what his neighbours had told them and what she'd found on Liam Humphries in several data bases: a retired bookseller, he'd been a loner, especially after his wife's death, apparently no friends or family other than his female admirer. He'd been in a mental institution for some time in his late 30s, but hadn't experienced any problems since then.

Jack asked, "What did you find?"

"The cause of death was massive trauma to his skull and I'm not talking about somebody knocking him out."

"What are you talking about?"

Owen pulled something from his lab coat and raised the hand. "Let me demonstrate." He was holding an egg. He closed his fist around it until its hull caved in and it shattered. "That's what happened to his head." Ianto looked at the raw egg dripping onto the floor with dismay while Owen continued, "Liam was gripped like this," he put both his hands on the sides of Jack's head, "and then squeezed until … well … scrambled eggs." Gwen didn't feel that hungry anymore. She pushed her plate aside. Owen looked gravely at all of them. "I literally found imprints of the murderer's fingers in Liam's skull."

"We're not talking human then," Jack deduced.

"No. There's no way this murder was committed by a human."

Somebody said, "Everyone's hard at work. How interesting."

They all turned to the door where Peralta was standing, smiling pleasantly.

Jack cleared his throat. "Actually, we are. Very busy, that is. What can I help you with?"

"Well," Peralta said, "just a small thing, really. I'd like all of you to be my subjects." Before anyone could say anything, he raised his hands. "Please let me explain. I'd like to examine the consequences of being near the Rift constantly. An experiment that will likely be useful someday."

Owen answered, "There are no consequences."

"Really? Did you ever work on a project like this?"

"No."

"How do you know then that it doesn't affect the human body? The Rift sends out chronon particles into the air and certain forms of radiation. Harmless, I know, but maybe there are some changes in the human body we miss at first glance. Since all of you have been affected by the Rift – some longer than others – I'd like you to be my subjects."

Everyone looked at Jack. "What would that entail?" he asked.

"I'll just need a bit of blood, saliva and maybe some skin cells from each of you."

"That's all?" Jack asked, one eyebrow raised.

Peralta nodded. "I promise."

"Fine then."

"Good. I'll let you finish your briefing then and collect the samples later." With that, he left.

"Great!" Owen groaned. "You seem to have forgotten that my blood's dry, I don't have any saliva left and my skin cells are dead."

"I haven't," Jack answered. "You'll throw a fit, insist on getting your samples on your own. He'll have to let you do that. We give him the stuff we still have in storage."

Owen sighed with a nod. "Fine."

"He won't find a thing either way. I had someone in the 90s do some tests and sent a few samples to a UNIT laboratory in 2001. Nothing unusual. But it'll keep him occupied and happy." He sighed deeply. "Alright. Gwen, after he has our samples, you come with me. We have no relatives, no working colleagues, no friends – aside from the neighbour –, so we'll get back to the crime scene to take another look around. Tosh, you're still checking the CCTV in the area?"

She nodded.

"Keep doing that then. Ianto, work your magic in the archives. See if Torchwood has encountered a being with abilities like that before. Owen, do whatever tests are necessary. Look at his clothes, maybe the attacker left something behind." He clapped his hands and everybody got up. Owen and Tosh left immediately, Ianto hung back to collect the empty mugs and then followed them. Jack looked after him.

Gwen cleared her throat softly. "You know, I can see that there's a problem between the two of you."

Jack's eyes met hers, sharp and defensive. "And it's none of your business."

"You've helped me out with my relationship more than once, Jack. I just want to return the favour."

"It's none of your business," he repeated and left.

Gwen looked after him and sighed. "Stubborn idiot."


	4. Chapter 4

**4.**

Peralta took some of Ianto's skin cells and swabbed the inside of his mouth. He waited until he had a needle inside Ianto's arm, drawing blood, before he said, "Things at Torchwood are quite different."

Ianto raised his eyebrows questioningly, not wanting to seem rude. "How so?"

"Well, relationships in the working place are not allowed at UNIT. Gay relationships are frowned upon." Peralta rolled his eyes. "Too many military minds." He chuckled and exchanged one vial for another. "Torchwood seems to be much more liberal."

Ianto didn't know what to say to that, so he remained silent.

"Well, as long as your relationship isn't affecting work-"

"It isn't," Ianto interrupted him. "He's my captain. Our captain. He's always that first and in a relationship with me second."

"Of course," Peralta said and started to fill a third vial. "You must be very close, though, making a relationship work that extends to the working place."

"We manage." Ianto wished that Peralta would hurry up, but he seemed to be taking his own sweet time, obviously knowing he had Ianto trapped.

"Oh, you do," Peralta replied. "And I'm confident that you will continue to do so." With that, he removed the needle. "There," he said, pressing a ball of cotton against the wound. "I've got all I need."

xxx

"This is a waste of time," Gwen said, passing the scanner around Humphries's kitchen once more. "Whatever killed Liam, they didn't leave anything behind."

Jack was standing a few steps away, staring darkly at the place where the body had lain, his arms crossed. "Since we aren't picking up Rift activity or chronon particles, I'd say the killer was from around here but Owen says they weren't human."

Gwen raised her dark eyebrows at him. "But you're the one who always tells me that there are several aliens living in Cardiff."

"Most of them in disguise," Jack said with a nod. "But those I know of ..." He shook his head. "They wouldn't do this. Not even one of the Blowfish."

"I don't know," Gwen replied and switched off the scanner. She put one hand on her hip. "I don't trust the Blowfish as far as I can throw them. They're conmen and criminals. We should check them out either way."

"You want to walk into their colony asking questions about a killing?" Jack asked. "Be my guest, but leave me a list of possible replacements before you go."

"I thought they had to abide by our rules."

"Outside of their colony yes, but I made a deal with them: they abide by our rules and I don't come and bother them. I'd need proof. They would hand over to me whoever did this if I had solid proof. Without anything at all ..." He shrugged. "They'd see it as an attack."

"But we would just be asking some questions," Gwen said, exasperated.

"You always forget that their society is different from ours. Showing even the slightest doubt in a member of their colony without solid proof is asking for trouble." Jack sighed. "Besides, they didn't do this. They're smugglers, drug dealers, they kill, but not like this."

His comm link crackled and then Ianto's voice filtered through. _"Jack,"_ he said, sounding earnest.

Jack knew that bad news were coming. "What is it?"

"_We've got another body. In Newport this time. The same message: Torchwood – this is your fault." _

Jack looked at Gwen. She was pale, listening in on their conversation with her comm link. Jack swallowed. "Well, we've got nothing here. So tell Owen that we'll pick him up in ten minutes to check out the new killing with us."

"_Yes, sir."_

"How's the CCTV coming along?"

Ianto sighed. _"Tosh hasn't got anything, yet. She's focussing on the CCTV near the Newport killing now."_

"Good. Keep me posted."

xxx

The second victim was a woman living in Newport's city centre in a tiny, spartan flat devoid of personality. Her body was lying on the floor in the living room, the skull crushed in and blood surrounding her head like a halo. Gwen grimaced while Owen just sighed and settled down to examine the woman.

The DI responsible for the crime scene told them that her name was Samantha Tapping, 87 years old, before asking them gruffly what a special task force from Cardiff could do better than the police in Newport.

Jack, his hands deep in his coat pockets, answered, "Can't tell." His voice was neutral as always when dealing with officials he didn't want to deal with.

"Typical," the DI huffed. "I get a phone call from my boss' boss telling me to back off and let Torchwood handle this. Is that how things go in Cardiff?"

"Yes," Jack answered, then he turned away from the man who took it as his dismissal. Muttering about 'nut-head special units in fancy clothes', he turned away and left. Jack looked at the body thoughtfully. "Whoever our guy is he has the opportunity to move towns." He activated his headset. "Tosh, it's just a guess but keep an eye out for similar vehicles on the CCTV footage."

"_Got ya,"_ she answered.

Owen said, "The killer has something against old people." He was crouching next to the victim, eyeing the ugly remains of what once was a woman enjoying her retirement. Only the dress gave the corpse away as being female. The face was completely destroyed. Gwen looked around and, seeing that the DI had taken his officers with him, started scanning the walls and the floor for any chronon particles. Owen looked up at Jack. "The first victim was 71, the second 87 … I wonder how they managed to piss somebody off."

Jack's earpiece crackled and Ianto said, _"Samantha Tapping, retired school teacher, no family. Her file adds up what apparently was a pretty uneventful life."_

Gwen looked at Jack. "I just bet she didn't have friends or close contact with her neighbours."

Jack sighed, "The same victim profile. But why? Why these people?" He looked at the message scrawled on the wall above the couch. "And why us?"

xxx

It was already late and after Jack had decided that it wouldn't make much sense for the team to stay since there was nothing they could do at the moment, he sent them home. Gwen and Owen didn't wait and immediately started packing up. The Hub was slowly calming down, Jack working in his office, Ianto walking around to gather up the last trash and Tosh programming her computer to let several searches run throughout the night.

To Owen's annoyance, Gwen was filling up the silence with another wedding problem she and Rhys were facing. Since the engagement, she seemed to have loads of those. "So, the only way to avoid mine and Rhys's parents killing each other during our wedding is to invite only his or only mine. But since we can't do that, I thought we could just invite none of them. I could do without my mom. My dad on the other hand-"

"Here's a question," Owen interrupted her. "Are we invited at all?"

Gwen seemed stumped. "What?"

"Cause we didn't get invitations." Owen wasn't really interested in going, but he was tired of her wedding preparation stories. Jack always seemed delighted to get regular updates and Owen knew that Ianto had offered advice on Gwen's dress and the music for the party and Tosh was all over it because … well, Owen knew that she wanted it to be her own wedding.

"Of course," Gwen said. "Rhys is inviting his colleagues. I didn't think invitations were necessary." Her face brightened. "But I'll give you invitations. Oh, and you're all allowed to bring a plus one."

"Splendid idea!" Owen said sourly. "Because we sure all have plus ones." With that he slung his backpack over his shoulder and turned towards the cogwheel door to leave.

"Everyone, wait!" Tosh called. "I've got something!"

Owen cursed. "Seriously? I was heading off, Tosh. _Six Feet Under_'s waiting. Pretend you didn't see whatever it is."

Jack left his office. "It's not as if you need sleep, Owen. And DVDs can wait."

They all gathered around Tosh's work station. She pointed at a grainy footage of a camera. "This camera is close to Ms. Tapping's flat. Two blocks away." It was a street in central Newport, cars parked on both sides. The time stamp told them that the footage had been recorded this morning at 5am. For a moment, Owen didn't see anything unusual, but then the entrance to the sewers opened and a slim, tall figure squeezed itself out through it. It had a humanoid shape, but was a lot skinnier.

Owen couldn't quite make out its features on the grainy picture. "Jesus," he muttered. "What is that?"

"It seems humanoid," Tosh said, "but it's clearly not human."

Gwen said, "It looks like one of those fighting machines in _Star Wars_."

Owen gifted her with an incredulous look.

"What?" she asked, irritated. "It does."

"Indeed", Ianto said with a nod.

Tosh said, "The best bit comes now." The being closed the entrance again and then slowly walked towards a van parked in the shadows between two streetlamps. It opened the backdoors and got in. The van drove away.

Jack put a hand on Tosh's shoulder. "Plates?" he asked.

Tosh shook her head. "I didn't find any CCTV in Ms. Tapping's street but I assume that this … thing used the sewers to get close to her flat without it or the van being seen by witnesses."

Owen frowned. "Yeah? That's why the van parked in front of a CCTV camera?"

"Maybe they didn't see it. Killers make mistakes."

Ianto replied, "Yes, they saw it."

Gwen looked at him quizzically. "How do you know?"

Ianto rewound the footage back to the point where the humanoid being closed the sewers. He let it play and then hit pause. "See this?" he asked, pointing at the screen.

Owen squinted. "What? The tiny, pixely thing on top of the big, pixely thing?"

"It taped something on the underside of the sewer entrance."

Jack leaned in close. "You're right."

"A message. Maybe."

"Call Newport Police. Tell them to get it and mail the text immediately. They're to send the whole thing via courier first thing tomorrow."

"Yes, sir." Ianto hurried to the phone in Jack's office.

"They wanted us to see that." Jack straightened and crossed his arms.

Gwen looked up at him. "Somebody's helping that thing. Somebody human?"

"Seems that way. It couldn't have driven that van by itself." He sighed. "We have to find them. And fast. Because to me it seems as if they're just getting started."

xxx

Ianto knocked on Jack's office door politely and entered. Jack looked up from the copy of the message the police in Newport had found taped to the sewer entrance. Again: _Torchwood – this is your fault_.

Jack gifted Ianto with a hesitant smile. He didn't quite know where they were standing at the moment and … damn, this was supposed to be so easy. Starting out as an office fling, a hot affair, upgrading to the occasional date thrown in here and there and something deeper, more meaningful, when they'd started spending days together just going shopping or looking at antiques. Nevertheless, it was never supposed to become this complicated, this meaningful … Jack was used to them being easy and understanding each other without many words being said.

Ianto cleared his throat and Jack realized that he seemed just as uncomfortable. "I'll be leaving now or do you need anything?"

Despite the progress they'd made in the case, Jack had realized that they didn't have any leads to follow, so he'd sent the team home to get some sleep. Seeing Ianto in his coat and with the professional mask firmly on his face made Jack's heart ache. He wanted him to stay. "Come here." Ianto obeyed, if a bit hesitantly. Jack came around the desk and met him half-way. He leaned in and kissed Ianto gently, sliding his fingers through his short hair and wrapping an arm around his back. "Stay here," he whispered against Ianto's lips.

Ianto's fingers wrapped around Jack's braces. "I'm tired of feeling convenient."

Jack placed a kiss in Ianto's hair. "You're not. How can you think that?"

"We don't make any progress, Jack. We don't evolve. But relationships do. They have to."

"You're labelling what we have?"

Ianto's eyes narrowed. "Because I want to. I want to put a label on you, Jack. You resent them. I get that. But you're living in a world that thrives on them and that needs them. You can't just … ignore them. Well, not all of them at least. Trying them out in my head, I realized that you're not my shag, my friend or my lover … you're my partner and it feels awkward not being allowed to say that, just because you're scared you can't be what it says on the tin."

Jack turned away. "What brought on this sudden urge for evolving? You were happy with what we are." He crossed his arms. "Weren't you?"

"Sure," Ianto hastened to assure him. "It's just ..." He bit his lip. "I heard you talking to Gwen the other day."

Jack squinted at him. "Is this about me and Gwen then? I thought we had settled that."

Ianto being insecure about Jack's relationship with Gwen was an old scar. One that should have faded by now. Jack wasn't afraid to admit that he felt something for Gwen. He didn't see any reason in denying it even to Ianto, because he wouldn't lie about his feelings for somebody else to someone he slept with. After some initial problems shortly after Jack's return from the year that never was, though, Ianto had seemed to accept that Jack would never act on his feelings for Gwen because he didn't want to risk what he had with Ianto or what she had with Rhys.

Ianto avoided his eyes and his hands tightened around Jack's braces, his frustration evident. Jack sighed and brushed a hand through Ianto's hair. "Alright. You heard me and Gwen talk?"

"About the wedding," Ianto said. "She was nervous, remember? Kind of getting cold feet?"

"I remember."

"And you told her that there's no need to because, after all you've seen and all you've experienced even with the Doctor, you couldn't imagine anything more beautiful than two souls deciding to spend their life together." Ianto looked at him earnestly. "You said that it's always worth the risk."

Jack took a step back, dislodging Ianto's hands. "So, what? Because I won't move in with you, you think I don't invest anything in this? That you're convenient?"

"You believe in love and monogamy and spending your life with someone, but you say no when I ask you to take the next step towards that goal for us, so how am I supposed to feel?"

Jack heaved a frustrated sigh. "It's different for me."

"Different?"

"I can't exactly spend my life with someone, right?" He ducked his head. "I've had partners. Families. I thought, 'Well, maybe I can do this after all', but I can't."

"You lost them." Ianto took his hand. "I know."

Jack pulled his hand away. "I lost some of them. Others turned against me, unable to handle … _it_, me, my life."

"I'm able to handle it."

"You say that now."

Ianto pulled up his shoulders. "So, what? We should just end it then?" he asked.

The silence stretched for a long time while Jack thought about what to say.

"I don't know," he finally answered.


	5. Chapter 5

**5.**

It was one of those late night phone calls that Jack needed to make him feel better sometimes. Ianto was enough, his team was enough – most of the time. Sometimes, though, he just needed someone who'd been through one hellish year, just like him. Someone who remembered what it was like. That kind of trust didn't come easily and Martha Jones, the woman who walked the Earth, would forever have it. _"Whatever you do, Jack, be careful,"_ Martha said and Jack could hear her concern coming down the phone line stretching from Cardiff, Torchwood Three, to London, UNIT UK Headquarters. _"I heard General Leslie was having an office party after Peralta left. Nobody here likes him and that has its reasons."_

"Enlighten me," Jack asked.

Martha sighed. _"What did he tell you about his male pregnancy experiments?"_

"That he tried and failed. Not much more."

"_Well, let's say the tests weren't entirely sanctioned by the superiors."_

Jack frowned. He grabbed his pen and started to tap the desktop nervously. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"_He impregnated a few laboratory assistants and soldiers without their consent. Of course, nobody dared to fire him. He's very good at what he does and UNIT needs him. So all he got was a suspension."_

Jack dropped the pen, put his head in one hand and rubbed his face tiredly. "I can't believe Leslie didn't tell me."

"_Maybe he knew that you would never let Peralta into your Hub if he did."_

He sighed deeply. "This is getting better and better."

"_Jack, just … be careful. Tell your team to be careful and you should be fine. It's only a few days."_

"Yeah," Jack muttered. "Only a few days."

xxx

The Rift alarm came in in the early morning hours. The spike was massive, nothing Jack would be comfortable with handling alone, so he called his team to let them know he would pick them up to take them to the site. All of them except Ianto who volunteered to come and coordinate from the Hub. Normally, they left one of them there just in case something showed up on the computers or they needed something brought to them. Most of the time, it was either Ianto or Tosh taking on that duty.

Jack collected Gwen and Tosh from in front of their flats and a short, high speed drive later, the tyres of the SUV squealed to a stop beside Owen who was waiting on the side walk. "So what have we got?" he asked while he climbed into the passenger seat. Gwen and Tosh were sitting in the back. While Tosh was working on the built-in computers, Gwen was busy readying her gun.

Jack accelerated, hearing Owen give a moan as if he was barely stopping himself from telling Jack to slow down. He ignored it, the team had always been sceptical about his driving. He just wanted to get them there on time. "Rift activity in Grangetown. A serious spike."

"Define serious," Owen said.

Tosh called out from the back seat, "Off the scale."

Owen grimaced. "Just what I need on a rainy night."

Jack cut around a corner, bumping over the side walk. Gwen cursed softly and Tosh gave a small sound of protest when the seatbelt cut into her shoulder. Owen glared at Jack. "Hello? Fragile person sitting right next to you!"

"I never have accidents," Jack replied.

"Say all the guys who then die in a car accident!" Owen snapped. Jack braked viciously, throwing them all into their seatbelts. Owen glared at him. "No need to stop. I was just saying."

"I didn't stop because of you." Jack released his seatbelt. "We're here." Tense silence filled the car while they all stared through the windscreen. It was the IKEA parking lot at Heol Ferry, abandoned at this hour. Rain was pounding on the roof of the SUV and the only other sound was the swishing of water when cars passed by on the roundabout next to the parking lot. A blue plastic bag was blown across the empty space.

Owen quipped, "Doesn't look like they're having a sale, does it?"

Gwen smiled wryly. "Could we check out the green couch Rhys is raving about while we're here?"

Jack just gave them a grim look and got out of the car. Rain had his hair plastered to his head in seconds. He turned up the lapels of his coat and buttoned it up. "Tosh?"

She stepped next to him, looking at her PDA. "No activity. No life signs."

Owen stood next to her, shouldering his backpack with medical equipment, unimpressed by the rain beating down on him. One of the advantages of being dead, Jack thought, Owen couldn't feel cold.

Gwen on the other hand shivered while she zipped up her leather jacket. "Well …," she said. "This is certainly a lively neighbourhood." Rain had stuck her dark hair to her head. All of them were holding their guns. You could never be too careful. Jack's fingers were gripping his old-fashioned Webley. It felt like an extension of his arm since he'd gotten it as a service weapon during world war one. After all these years, his fingers had left little indentations on the grip, making holding it even more comfortable. He tightened his grip nervously, taking security from the revolver, and tapped his headset. "Ianto, what have you got for us?"

The answer filtered through all their comm links. _"Not a thing. Everything's peaceful."_

Owen groaned. "Please don't tell me you dragged me away from _Six Feet Under _for nothing. It was just getting interesting."

Gwen thought back to her warm bed and her fiancé curled up in it, snoring and hogging the blankets, and she sighed wistfully.

Defending Jack, Tosh replied, "We had a pretty strong spike here." She was checking her PDA. "But I've got nothing now." She pulled a scanner from her coat and waved it around. "Traces of Rift energy and some chronon particles, though. So there definitely was something here."

And then, Jack felt it – something changed, shifted. Time and space itself.

"Whoa!" Tosh said when her device beeped.

Ianto's voice rang out, tense, _"You've got incoming." _

And then the world opened on the other side of an IKEA parking lot and through the golden shimmering gate stepped … something. They all raised their weapons. The Rift closed.

Jack ran towards the being that had come into their world, their time, calling out, "Hold it right there!" The being was tall and slim. Jack realized that it was the same thing that they had seen on the CCTV footage. This being had killed two people. It turned its head in their direction and now, Jack finally realized what had sent shivers down his spine since the very first moment he'd seen this thing on the video. He knew this being ... from a long time ago. Where there should be a face, there was just an empty space. No eyes, no ears, nothing … just a flat, light-brown surface. Jack froze and held out an arm to halt his team. The being was looking at them and seemed to consider something for a split-second, then it raised his hand calmly. Jack's eyes widened. "Down! Down!" But it was already too late. They were lifted off their feet and thrown backwards to land in a tangled heap on the hard asphalt. Gwen cried out when Jack's elbow dug into her stomach when he jumped to his feet. "Stop!" He ran after the being … Golem. Jack didn't need to look back, he could hear his team following him.

Gwen panted into her headset, "Ianto, we're chasing it. Add another thing to that list of what to cross-reference for in the archives: it didn't have a face."

"Ianto," Jack said before he could answer Gwen, "forget that. Just get me everything we've got about Golems."

"_Golems? You mean-"_

"Yes," Jack interrupted him, "we're in really big trouble."

The Golem chose this moment to burst through the metal gate protecting the entrance to IKEA and then the window. Jack called over his shoulder, "Looks like we can check out that couch after all."

The burglar alarms activated.

Ianto said, _"I'm liaising with the police."_

"Pull rank," Jack answered and stepped into the darkened store. The displayed furniture was nothing more than shadows. He lowered his voice. "They should cordon off the area."

"_Yes, sir. Cover story?"_

"Leave that for now," Jack said. "Maybe we'll catch that thing before anyone sees it and then we can note it down as a prank gone wrong." He looked at the team. "It's not one for hiding or subtlety. You won't have any trouble finding it. It'll be getting its bearings right about now and look for an escape route. We'll split up." Jack pointed Gwen and Tosh in one direction and took off with Owen into the other.

xxx

The battle of Canary Wharf and the fall of Torchwood One had destroyed a lot of knowledge. Not all the files that had been kept in Torchwood Tower had been sent to Torchwood Two or Three or copied for UNIT. Yvonne Hartmann had worked under the impression that not everything going on in London should concern the other Torchwood branches. The Golems were one of those things. Ianto had only heard about them through the grapevine. He didn't know what exactly they were or what Torchwood One had wanted with them but he'd known that they had been deemed very dangerous. Enough so that their name has still been part of the Torchwood legends even though there had been no active projects involving them for decades. At least that was what the official story had been. Ianto wasn't surprised to find that they had no files about the Golems in their database, but there was a note suggesting asking UNIT for copies. Ianto sent an official request, knowing it would get turned down, but that's what they had Tosh for. She would be able to hack into UNIT's data base and get the files without UNIT being any the wiser. Ianto was just finishing sending the request when someone behind him asked, "Are you making any progress?"

Ianto turned away from the computer on his desk to look at Peralta. "They're chasing it," he said and gave an apologetic smile. "You can have the desk back in a minute. I'm just finishing something up."

"No worries," Peralta said and pulled closer the second chair that Jack sometimes used when he visited Ianto down here. He settled into it with a sigh and sipped on a cup of tea. "But you have no idea what it is yet?"

Ianto was reluctant to give away any information about the case without having Jack's permission to do so. "Not really." He got up and turned away from the desk to close one of the filing cabinets he'd left open. "I'm just on my way upstairs so you have the space back to yourself." He gave a polite smile and took his coffee from the desk, sipping carefully. It was still hot.

"I'll accompany you," Peralta said and followed him into the corridor. "I've been down here long enough for today. It can get a bit much. I couldn't sleep, though."

"I understand that," Ianto answered, only half-listening. He started climbing the stairs to the main Hub, mulling over what they knew about the killings. He couldn't come up with any connection or reason for a Golem to act that way. But then again, it wasn't alone. Somebody was behind all this, apparently using the Golem to do the dirty work. But how? He stumbled and caught himself on the handrail.

"Careful," Peralta said behind him. "These steps are slippery."

"They ..." Ianto took a breath. "They are." He took another breath, feeling slightly nauseous. "I try to take care, though that nobody ..." Something shattered and he stared numbly at the shards of the mug he'd dropped. "I ..." He didn't feel so good.

Peralta stepped into his line of vision, a worried frown on his face. "Mr. Jones, what's wrong?"

Everything went black.

xxx

The Golem – as Jack had called it – had left IKEA with the grace of an elephant through a window and the team had run after it, just in time to see it climb into the sewers through a gully. They gathered around the entrance and waited. Impatiently, Gwen turned to Jack. "We're going to lose it if we wait any longer."

"Well, it will kill us if it realizes that it's being followed," Jack replied. "We want to find out who is behind this. For that to happen, we have to find the van. It's obviously nowhere around here – too many CCTV cameras maybe –, so I assume it's waiting for the Golem somewhere else and the Golem will lead us straight to it." Jack's wrist strap beeped and he shut it up with an impatient push of a button, not even looking at it.

Owen frowned. "Could be important."

"Not as important as this. Let's go." Jack climbed down into the sewers and his team followed him.

xxx

At the same time, on the other side of the building, Captain John Hart got his bearings. He checked his vortex manipulator, spared a glance at the destroyed entrance gate to IKEA and frowned. Rick Carson stepped up next to him, looking down at his own wrist strap. "The signal's gone," he said.

John nodded. "It just vanished completely." They turned around to their companions Kenya Stevenson and Lance Hensley. The four of them was all that was left of the Time Agency and they didn't even deserve the name anymore, if John was honest. They hadn't done any work in the interests of the Shadow Proclamation in a long time.

John checked his vortex manipulator again. All of them had received a signal of a Time Agent's wrist strap opening the Rift right here not too long ago and they'd followed it back. And here was where the trail just went cold. John noticed Kenya eyeing Rick carefully, gauging his reaction. John was worried about him as well. They had waited a long time for this particular signal and now they had nothing. Just like all those years ago.

John felt rain drip down his face and soak through his red uniform jacket and he rested one hand on his sword, the other on his gun. "Sorry, Rick."

They all knew how much this meant to him. How much finding Sophia meant to him. Rick took a deep breath and shoved his hands into the pockets of his worn leather jacket. "Yeah, thanks."

Kenya raised one eyebrow at John, her fine features accentuated by the rain plastering her short, dark hair to her head.

Lance cleared his throat. He looked uncomfortable saying anything at all, but he did it nevertheless, "Let's get back to that con job then?" They all looked at Rick questioningly. This was his decision. Rick took a deep breath. Lance's hand gripped the butt of his gun as if he was unsure if Rick would attack him for even suggesting they just give up.

"Yeah," Rick said finally. "Let's go." They activated their vortex manipulators, opening the Rift to the 49th century and the theft of the Silzanian crown jewels.

John was the last to go. He spared a glance at the black Torchwood SUV parked a few feet away. "I'll be back." As soon as this job was finished and he could come back to Cardiff, 21st century, without arousing suspicion, John would find out just why Torchwood seemed to be involved in all this. He didn't think Jack would be responsible for Sophia going missing. He'd genuinely liked her when he'd still been a Time Agent … but then again, Jack had changed.

John smiled. "So we'll meet again," he muttered and left through the Rift.


	6. Chapter 6

**6.**

"I hate the sewers," Owen whispered a complaint, trying to stay on the narrow walkway of brickwork so that he wouldn't touch the murky water in the channel. "They're wet and smelly and mossy and there are unspeakable things floating in the water."

Jack hissed, "Do you think I enjoy it down here?" The four of them were trying to keep up with the Golem. Its heavy footsteps could be heard somewhere in the vicinity, echoing down the tunnel. Only Jack had switched on his torch, dimming the light with his fingers, and holding his gun in the other hand. He carefully rounded another corner. "I don't." They heard a scraping noise and Jack put a finger to his lips before carefully hurrying towards it. Owen and the girls followed him silently. They rounded another corner and froze. Jack hastily covered the torch. Now, the only light was coming from a flickering light bulb over a door some way down the long corridor. The creature was there, heaving the door out off its hinges and throwing it to the side. Only, it wasn't really a creature. That would imply that it was biological in its origin. Which it wasn't, Owen knew by now. Jack hadn't told them much, but he'd explained to them what they were dealing with. Its skin shimmered and it moved precisely – mechanically. It was an artificial intelligence … and it wasn't moving anymore. Before Owen could wonder why it had stopped, the robot whirled around and even though it didn't have a face, Owen just knew that it was zeroing in on them.

"Fuck."

The robot raised an arm and something blindingly white shot in their direction. Gwen and Tosh retreated back around the corner, while Jack pushed Owen aside, barely missing being hit himself. They landed in the bracky water of the sewers and when his mouth filled with water, Owen was glad his sense of taste was gone. They came up and ducked behind the corner, soaking wet. Steps were coming towards them, measured, slow, almost lazy, echoing off the walls.

Jack was talking into his headset, "Ianto, we need the Sontaran Fragmentation Grenade down here. Now! Trace our signals."

"You told us we weren't supposed to ever use that grenade," Owen said.

"Yes, I did," Jack replied tensely, "and that alone should tell you that we're in big trouble." He took Owen's arm and pulled him down the corridor to the next corner, shooing the girls with them. There, they waited. The Golem followed them relentlessly.

Gwen looked at Jack. "It's slow."

"It's not supposed to be fast. It's designed to kill, Gwen."

Owen asked, "So, you've really seen something like this before?"

"In my time and various other centuries. They used to be all over the place. 23rd century, 49th century, 51st century, you name it, they were there," Jack answered. "They came through the Rift, killed and scavenged technology before leaving again." He looked at all of them gravely. "We may just have found where they were coming from."

Tosh's eyes widened. "Earth, 21st century."

"Oh, yeah," Jack answered with a cynical grin. "This isn't just about murder. This … may be the biggest case we ever had."

xxx

"_Ianto, where the hell are you? Ianto!"_

Jack's voice. Ianto startled and felt pain. He moaned quietly. His head hurt and when he opened his eyes, everything was blurry. Nausea threatened and he closed his eyes rapidly.

A man said, "Sh, it's alright."

"_Ianto, we need you here, now!"_

He reached for his comm link with a trembling hand and muttered, "Jack."

Before he could reach it however, the comm link was taken from him and the man said, "Stay calm." Ianto opened his eyes slightly to see Peralta leaning over him with a reassuring smile. "Hello. I was getting worried."

Ianto looked around carefully, relieved to notice that the nausea wasn't that bad anymore. He was lying on the couch just behind the workstations in the main Hub. The coffee table had been pushed aside enough to fit the chair on which Peralta was perching into the gap.

Ianto licked his dry lips and swallowed. "What happened?"

"You had some kind of dizzy spell, fell down the stairs, hit your head."

Ianto frowned. He couldn't remember. Then he remembered something more important. "My comm link. Jack's calling for me."

"You need to rest, Mr. Jones," Peralta said. "It's important that you stay here for at least another hour. Are dizzy spells like that unusual for you?"

Ianto swallowed. "Yes."

"Well, I scanned you and you seem to be alright as far as I can tell. I'm going to talk to Dr. Harper about it, though."

Ianto's lids grew heavy.

"Don't fight it," Peralta said. "Sleep."

And Ianto did just that.

xxx

Jack cursed. "He's not answering his comm." Worry gnawed at him. He knew that something was wrong. Ianto would never neglect work because of their fight. They were both far too aware of the responsibility they had. It had been a rule early on in their relationship that their personal lives wouldn't intrude on their job. No, something was wrong and the thought that Ianto was alone in the Hub with that crazy scientist ...

Gwen and Tosh were peeking around the corner at the robot coming steadily their way. Gwen turned to Jack. "What do we do now?"

"We catch it," Jack answered. "It's artificial intelligence, so somewhere within must be a piece of technology we can trace back to its owner."

Owen asked, "So what's its weak spot? I mean, Ianto won't come, apparently. What do we do?"

"I don't know much about it. Its armour is indestructible, we have no possibility of overriding its orders because we don't know how it works, it won't give up coming after us and will eventually come back to the surface and probably start a killing spree."

"I love it when you're thinking positive thoughts," Owen grumbled.

Tosh said, "It's got a weak spot. Its gun is attached to its body. It's part of it. And the barrel is open."

Everybody stared at her. Gwen asked, "Are you suggesting we get close enough to that beast to shoot into its barrel?"

Jack released a breath and holstered his Webley revolver, then he grabbed Owen's shoulder, turning him around. He opened the backpack and got out the tazer he knew Owen kept there for emergencies. "No, I will. You stay here." Before anyone could utter a protest, Jack was off, running towards the robot. As soon as the Golem saw him, it stopped and raised its arm. Jack ducked away fast enough to avoid being hit in the chest, but the shot grazed his shoulder and he stumbled against the wall, still clutching the tazer. The smell of burned wool and flesh made him gag. He saw the Golem taking aim again.

Then he heard Owen shout "Cover fire!" and as one, his team shot at the robot, drawing its attention away from him. He took a deep breath and pushed away from the wall. He ran towards the Golem, stumbled out of the way when the being took another shot at him and lost his footing on the narrow walkway. He tripped into the water. The Golem stopped and took aim again. Deciding on a new plan, Jack didn't duck away this time. Only one second later, he was dead.

xxx

When he came back to life, he was half-submerged in water and the Golem had walked past him. He saw his chance, got up and came up from behind the robot, making it stutter in its movements as if it was surprised to see him. Before it could do anything about it, though, Jack slammed the tazer into the robot's barrel and pushed the button. There was a spark, a small explosion and Jack was thrown backwards into the water. He only had time to register the fact that he was dying – again – before his world went black.

xxx

Jack gasped back to life in the passenger seat of the SUV, causing Owen to swerve the car with a startled curse. "Can't you be more subtle about it? You scare me half to death every single time."

Jack refrained from making a joke about those words. Instead, he looked at Gwen and Tosh who were sitting in the back. Nobody seemed to be hurt and that was the most important thing. "Did it work?"

"Yes," Owen answered. "And dying twice, Jack? Seriously?"

"It had to be done. Where's the Golem?"

Gwen answered, "Wrapped in a plastic sheet on the roof of the SUV. It didn't fit in here."

Owen remarked, "By the way, we had to drag it all the way back to the SUV … and you too."

Jack just gave him a grin and leaned back in his seat, enjoying the view of the rising sun when they crossed the A4232 bridge over the bay. "Appreciate it."

xxx

Jack and Owen used the invisible lift to take the robot down into the main Hub while Gwen and Tosh took the SUV into the garage. It was still quite early and the Roald Dahl Plass was pretty much deserted so they managed to haul the robot from the roof to the lift without arousing suspicion.

As soon as the lift started descending, Jack's nerves and worry reached new heights. When they cleared the ceiling, Jack yelled, "Ianto!" When he saw Ianto lying on the couch, motionless and with Peralta leaning over him, he jumped off the invisible lift as soon as it was possible without breaking anything. Owen in turn lost his grip on the robot and it fell down the lift, landing with a dull sound on the metal grating. Peralta was now looking at Jack and taking a few startled steps back when he yelled, "Get away from him!"

"I was just checking him-"

"Don't you dare touch him." Jack took two steps towards Peralta, forcing him even further back.

Owen sat on the edge of the couch to check on Ianto. "What happened?"

"He fell down the stairs. Hit his head," Peralta answered.

Jack shook his head. "The hell he did!"

"It's the truth. He seemed dizzy and nauseous. I don't know what happened but he fell." Peralta stared at Jack with wide eyes. "He fell." There was no trace of a lie on his face.

Jack turned away and towards Owen. "What have you got?"

"A gash on the back of his head." Owen looked at the Bekaran scanner. "I'll do a blood test, just in case. But there's nothing else wrong with him."

Jack rounded on Peralta. "You will leave today."

Peralta looked indignant. "For what reason? I've done nothing wrong."

"I don't trust you. Make a list of files you are interested in and I'll have Ianto send them to you."

"I've got nothing to do with that fall. Why would I cause something like that?"

Jack knew that he didn't have any reason to suspect that Peralta had done something to Ianto, but he didn't feel it was safe to have him around. "Today," he said and walked away to take care of the robot.

"You will regret this," Peralta said. "Very soon."

"Whatever," Jack snapped.


	7. Chapter 7

**7.**

Ianto woke with a raging headache and to the sound of Owen and Jack arguing. Jack sounded aggressive, Owen defensive. "Listen, I've run every test I could think of but he's fine. There's nothing more I can do."

"I just want you to be _very_ sure because Peralta was alone with him for over three hours and anything could have happened in that time."

Ianto opened his eyes and blinked a few times to clear his blurry vision of the main Hub and the two men standing just outside the med bay. He was covered with a blanket and felt comfortably warm, but a bit sore.

Owen scoffed. "Don't be ridiculous, Jack. I'm the doctor. I say he's fine. That means he is." With that, he turned towards the med bay. "I have a robot autopsy to do now, if you don't mind."

Jack stayed behind, hands on his hips and fuming silently, if the expression darkening his handsome face was anything to go by. Ianto cleared his throat. "Jack?"

He saw Jack paste on a smile before he fully turned his head in Ianto's direction and sat on the low coffee table next to the couch. "Hey. How are you feeling?"

"Woozy," Ianto answered. "Sore."

"Peralta said you fell down the stairs."

"I must have. The last thing I know is that I was standing on the stairs."

"Do you remember when?"

Ianto frowned and tried to think back. "Well, I … I didn't check the clock but I think the last time we spoke was around 5am so I guess I fell around half five."

"We came back at six. You were unconscious for quite some time."

"I remember waking up." Ianto frowned, trying to concentrate. "But everything's so blurry, I don't remember much of what happened. But Peralta was there." He looked at Jack earnestly. "You think he did something to me?"

"There's no indication he did," Jack answered, "but I don't trust him. Why did you fall?"

"Don't remember. I felt dizzy and I must have slipped. Those steps are always damp and slippery. Almost broke my neck more than once." Ianto thought back, but then he shook his head. "Sorry, I really can't remember."

"It's okay," Jack answered and patted his thigh. "I'm just glad you're alright."

xxx

Gwen sat on the steps leading down into the well of the med bay and supported her chin on one hand. Owen was carefully prying open the head of the robot.

Tosh sat down next to Gwen with her laptop and sighed. "Long day," she said, tiredly brushing her dark hair out of her face.

"Yeah," Gwen replied and rubbed her sore eyes. She checked her watch. Just after seven. It was morning and she'd been at work for just about twenty-four hours if one didn't count the few hours she'd been at home. She made a mental note to call Rhys later and apologize. Sometimes it felt as if that was all she was doing lately. He seemed to understand a lot better since he'd helped them out with the space whale, though.

Owen gave a small sound of triumph when he managed to dislodge the upper part of the head. It clattered to the floor. Owen fiddled around in the inside of the skull and then presented a chip that looked like a SIM card for a mobile. He handed it to Tosh with a flourish and she connected it to the laptop resting on her thighs. "Hopefully, this will help us."

"Do you think whoever did this has got another one of those things?"

Owen returned to the robot to check out the inner part of the skull curiously. "Well, could be."

Normally, Gwen would be right there with him, looking at the being with wonder. It was the first artificial intelligence she ever had encountered. But she was too tired to bother. "And someone uses them to kill and scavenge technology from the future?" She shuddered. "Why the message to us?"

"To get back at us for something," Owen answered, distracted by his work.

"For what? _Torchwood – this is your fault_," she repeated the message. "What's our fault?"

Her question remained unanswered. Tosh was focused on the laptop and Owen on the robot. It was quiet until Jack and Ianto entered. Ianto was carrying a tray. He still looked a bit pale in Gwen's opinion, but seemed fine otherwise.

Jack had his arms crossed over his broad chest, his face grim. "Let's start," he said, breaking his determined stance to take a mug off the tray. Ianto walked down the steps to Gwen and Tosh, offering them their mugs and taking the last for himself before putting the tray down and leaning back against the wall with one hand in his trouser pocket. Jack let the silence settle before he started. "We are in big trouble. To bring everyone up to speed," he looked at Ianto, "this thing is a Golem. I know it from various centuries. They appear out of nowhere, travelling through the Rift, and scavenge technology, killing everyone who dares to try and stop them. Everyone in the future knows them. The name is visible on the back of their neck and they have serial numbers, so there have to be several of them. We don't know how many."

Gwen frowned. "Does the name mean anything special? It could give us a hint."

Ianto answered, "It's a mythological being."

Jack said, "It's a long story but in a nutshell: a Golem is a being made of dirt that can be controlled by humans."

Gwen nodded. "That's what robots are."

"Exactly," Jack answered. "Now, Ianto did some digging and found out that UNIT has files about these creatures. Files, they received from Torchwood One. Of course, Ianto's request that they send them over was denied. Top Secret. That's what we've got Tosh for, though. So Tosh did some digging as well. Turns out, there was a project Torchwood and UNIT worked together on. Its name was _Horizon_ and its purpose was to create the perfect soldier."

Owen looked up from his work and Gwen's eyes widened. "Are you saying ..."

"That Torchwood One and UNT built that thing on the table?" Jack asked. "Yes, they did. Project _Horizon_ was dropped after three years in 1963. Apparently there was some kind of nasty accident and the head scientist died. Now, Doctor Gerald Shaw was very popular back then and it took a lot of lying and covering up to hide the real reason for his passing. All the other scientists and officers working for the project were … not happy about having to give up. They thought they were about to change the world with their invention."

Gwen snorted. "Yeah, better wars for everyone."

Ianto sipped his coffee. "A lot of angry people who lost their pet project. That can smart … even decades later maybe?"

"Maybe," Jack said.

"Well," Owen deduced. "One of them decided to get these things out of the basement. Let's find them and talk to them."

Tosh sighed. "A problem: what Jack just told you was all I could get. The files are very encrypted, very hush-hush. I can't get any names."

Jack said, "We can assume that there's a lot more and since UNIT bothered to hide it well enough that not even Tosh can break through to take a look ..."

Gwen nodded. "Gotta be huge."

Tosh looked up from her laptop and towards the Golem. "This chip doesn't give any hint. The Golem was instructed to go through the Rift on a scavenger hunt and then back. It was supposed to walk to certain coordinates. I already checked the CCTV and the van was there, but it left when the Golem didn't turn up. That's all I have."

"Okay, it was out to scavenge something," Gwen said. "It obviously didn't."

Owen replied, "No. Nothing."

Ianto tilted his head thoughtfully. "Maybe there wasn't anything to take. I assume that the Golem was sent to a random point in the future. Maybe it landed somewhere where no civilization was."

Jack nodded. "Could be."

Gwen frowned. "So it decided to come back empty-handed. How does a robot decide that?"

Tosh answered, "It's equipped with sensors. It picks up all kinds of energy signals and evaluates them."

Ianto took another sip of his coffee and calmly asked, "The question is: what do we do now?"

Everybody looked at him, but none of them had an answer.

xxx

Ianto couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. His head was throbbing with a headache but that wasn't all. He rubbed his belly, feeling like there was an itch deep within him that he just couldn't reach. He was on edge, he realized. The potential loss of what he had with Jack and this new case that left them all facing one brick wall after another …

Owen was busy dissecting the rest of the robot when Ianto arrived in the med bay to look for trash. Since Owen was dead, this part in his daily routine was pretty much pointless – no empty wrappers for various candy bars anymore, no empty pizza boxes or mouldy Chinese take-away tucked away in various nooks and crannies, no empty mugs or cans … but it was Ianto's routine and sometimes Gwen or Tosh would leave something down here, so he still checked. But everything was tidy today and Owen worked with a focused frown, not even looking up to acknowledge him. Ianto turned away to return to the main Hub. Something clattered behind him – maybe Owen dropping a screwdriver on the tray – and Ianto didn't quite know what happened but something red flashed before his eyes and he reached out a hand to steady himself against the wall. Owen started to hum softly, like he sometimes did when he worked, but his voice barely reached Ianto, as if he was wrapped in mist. He closed his eyes against the blinding flashing light … and then it was suddenly over and he felt fine.

"Ianto?"

He startled and turned around to Owen who was looking at him with a frown. "You kind of froze up there. What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Ianto answered hurriedly, blinking to get lost of the last ghosts of the light. "Just wondering what tune you were humming."

"I didn't hum," Owen replied.

"Maybe you didn't notice," Ianto said with a smile.

"I would have noticed." He turned back to the robot.

Ianto nodded slowly to himself. "Right."

xxx

Jack made sure that Peralta left. He stood with him on the curb and watched him get into a taxi. Peralta smiled at him through the car window and that smile chilled Jack to the bone.

Peralta's words in the Hub haunted Jack. _"You will regret this. Very soon."_

Once the car had pulled away and was on its way to the train station, Jack finally relaxed.

He couldn't get rid of the memory of that smile, though, while he headed back down to the Hub. With the microchip giving them no new information and Owen not finding anything else useful in the robot, the case was pretty much dead in the water. Jack hated when that happened but he also knew that he had to let it slide and let his team get some rest. Sometimes that was all there was left to do.

He nodded at Gwen, Tosh and Owen as they passed him by in the tourist office on their way home and headed down and through the cogwheel door into the main Hub, where Ianto was busy straightening everything before he, too, could leave. He seemed pale in the harsh lights of the Hub and he kept rubbing his eyes.

"You look beat," Jack said. He stepped closer to Ianto and – despite everything – put an arm around his shoulder to lead him to his office. "Sleep here tonight."

Ianto seemed to hesitate for a moment but then he put his head on Jack's shoulder and obeyed. While Jack opened the hatch that led down to his bedroom, Ianto suddenly said, "I don't want this to end."

Jack froze and then answered carefully, "It didn't."

"Really? To me, it feels like it did."

"Ianto," Jack sighed. He straightened and put his hands on his hips, taking in Ianto's defensive stance – the crossed arms and ducked head.

Ianto looked up at him and his eyes were bright in the low light reigning in Jack's office – bright with tears. "I'm sorry for pushing you. I promised I wouldn't." He licked his lips. "I just don't know if I can handle you grieving for me when I'm still right here."

There was nothing Jack would have rather done than take Ianto to bed right now. He was tired and he could see that Ianto was walking the brink of exhaustion and this really wasn't the time to have this conversation. But he knew, too, that Ianto wouldn't stop worrying about this until they talked about it. He would probably stay up all night. So Jack gave in. "It's not just about the knowledge that you could die tomorrow. It's also about moving in itself. I'm not good at that whole living together thing. I screw it up. Every single time. Just ask my exes." He tried a grin to lighten the situation but Ianto didn't take the bait. So he turned serious again. "I'm going to lose you. I don't want it to happen because of some stupid fight over whose turn it is to do the laundry."

Ianto shook his head and brushed a hand through his short hair in agitation. "You would never lose me because of that but you're losing me by pushing me away. You're careful, I get that, but you can't be careful with love. It just doesn't work."

Jack closed his eyes. It was the first time the word 'love' had entered any of their conversations about their relationship and it was the wrong time. Jack wasn't sure how he felt about Ianto. There were too many things in the way, too many insecurities for him to really let himself feel something that deep. He was working constantly on chipping away on the wall he'd built around his feelings, but it was hard and it took time. "Ianto-"

"I love you," Ianto said softly. Jack didn't have to open his eyes to know that the tears had spilled over by now. Ianto released a breath. "But I don't see this working out. Not as long as you're scared of me."

Jack nodded, understanding. He cleared his throat and opened his eyes, blinking away the blurry vision of his office. "Are you still sleeping here tonight?" he asked. "Or should I take you home?"

"No need to take me home," Ianto answered. "I'll be okay." He smiled hesitantly, turned and walked away.

Jack sank against his desk. "Yeah," he said. "Yeah, me, too."

xxx

_A red, flashing light, humming, cold, the white tiles of the med bay above him and warm hands on his skin …_

"_Ianto! Ianto!" _

He gasped and sat up at his desk down in the archives. Embarrassed, he looked around for whoever had found him sleeping on the job, but there was no one there.

Then he heard Owen's voice again, getting more impatient by the minute. _"Ianto!"_

His hand flew up to his earpiece and he answered, "Owen?"

"_Finally. Jack called you up here ten minutes ago. We're just waiting for you. It's important, so move your arse."_

"Sorry. Be right there." Ianto got up and ran shaky hands through his hair, trying to neaten it. He straightened his shirt and tie and put on his suit jacket, trying to ignore the lingering snatches of the nightmare that had plagued him. Never before had he fallen asleep during work. But after the sleepless night he'd had, it was no wonder it had happened. He was exhausted and he'd started out tired.

When he arrived in the boardroom, everyone was already gathered around the table.

"Finally," Owen said. Ianto ignored him. He just sat down at the table and looked at Tosh expectantly.

She nodded at him. "So I checked the chip again," she explained, "and discovered a sub-program."

Jack frowned. "I don't like the sound of that."

"It's basically a log, a routine that runs on automatic. Like communication between machines. The moment we destroyed the robot, it sent a message to others like it, telling them that it's down."

Gwen blinked. "Others like it? Maybe we can find them … can you trace the signal?"

"No, it's totally scrambled. I have no idea where they are. I just know how many there are."

Jack sat up straighter and folded his hands on the table. "How many?" His voice was serious and deep. He was worried. And Ianto was, too.

Tosh swallowed. "Thousands. Somewhere out there is a guy who may have thousands of these things under his control. He's angry at Torchwood and he doesn't hesitate to kill innocents to get our attention. And we have no idea where he is or when he'll strike next."

Owen raised his eyebrows. "Oh, yes, we're screwed."


	8. Chapter 8

**PART 2: Count Your Blessings**

**1.**

Three months later

The sea air was fresh against Ianto's face, waking him up even more than the music coming from his iPod and the running already had. He breathed deeply and regularly, paying attention to it, measuring his breaths with his steps drumming on the wooden walkway leading along Cardiff Bay. It was half six in the morning and only a few other joggers and some people out for a walk with their dogs passed Ianto by while he ran his usual round from his flat to work. It was exercise and exorcism, banning the memories of how he had spent most of his mornings just a few months ago … _in bed with Jack, touching, writhing and moaning_ … he ran faster. This was his new routine and it helped him wake up when all he seemed to feel lately was tired out and it helped him keep his weight stable when a lot of his time lately was spent snacking. He'd officially taken away Gwen's title as the sweet tooth on the team. Maybe it was sadness over his break-up with Jack or just a phase … fact was that he didn't feel so guilty about eating when he ran in the morning.

When he arrived at the tourist office, Jack was waiting for him, leaning against the hand rail that divided the walkway from the sea, and breathing in the morning air. Ianto slowed his steps and switched off his iPod. "Beautiful day," he commented on the sunrise and the cloudless sky.

Jack nodded. "A touch of spring." He smiled. Then his grin turned into a worried frown. "You look tired."

"Slept all night." Ianto opened the door to the tourist office. They stepped inside, exchanging fresh outside air for dusty inside air. Ianto pulled a face and made a mental note to clean up later. He'd neglected the office a bit over the last few months. They just seemed to be too busy all the time. And now, with Gwen's wedding coming closer, it seemed to be getting even worse.

Jack closed the door. "Maybe you should stop running. You do enough of that during working hours."

"Yeah, on the job. But I enjoy running without immediate danger at my back."

He passed a finger over a nearby shelf, estimating how bad the dust had become and noticing that some of the flyers and catalogues were outdated. Jack watched him with an amused smile, but didn't say anything. They lapsed into one of the awkward silences they were prone to now. If they didn't work together, they probably would never see each other again. But they had a job and responsibility and since neither of them was keen on quitting, they had to stay functional. So they had been painfully professional around each other the first month and were now slowly approaching something akin to a friendship. Nevertheless, awkward silences were still part of their new relationship.

Jack said, "I'm just worried."

"I know," Ianto replied. He looked at Jack with a serious expression. "Thank you." He hit the button that opened the secret entrance to their base. "But I'm fine." As if his body was dead-set on betraying him, it chose this moment to protest. Pain shot through Ianto's stomach and he doubled over, panting.

"Ianto?" Jack asked and touched his shoulder.

The pain only got worse and Ianto allowed himself to collapse onto his knees. He leaned forward on one hand and wrapped the other arm around his middle. He whimpered.

"Ianto?" Jack leaned closer, trying to see what was hurting.

Ianto straightened as far as possible and grabbed the lapel of Jack's coat in one hand."Oh, God. Something's wrong."

"I'm calling Owen," Jack said, his mobile already pressed to his ear.

Ianto groaned, suppressing a scream. His hand fisted Jack's coat. He didn't listen to the conversation. He just tried to breathe against the pain, but it wouldn't stop. He groaned again, louder this time, feeling sweat building on his forehead.

Jack's hands were on his shoulders. "It's okay," he muttered calmly. He was always good at soothing people in a painful or stressful situation and Ianto basked in the sound of his low voice, the kind touch, the reassurances. "Owen's on his way."

A sudden agony ripped through his stomach and he screamed. And then, thankfully, the world went black.

xxx

Half an hour later, Ianto was lying curled up under a blanket on the couch in the main Hub. Jack was hovering, like he usually did when he was worried about one of his team, near the entrance to the med bay, one arm crossed over his chest and the fingers of his free hand tugging on his lower lip. Owen was perched on the edge of the couch, squinting at the screen of the Bekaran scanner and making thoughtful noises. "There's something," he said finally. Ianto braced himself for the worst. The pain had vanished as suddenly as it had come but the memory of how bad it had been was carved into his mind and he was scared it would happen again. Owen shook his head in frustration. "I can't quite see it. The scanner can't make sense of it. Strange." He switched off the scanner and looked at Jack. "I'll have to enhance the picture. It'll take a few hours."

"Do whatever's necessary," Jack replied. Ianto could see that he was nervous, even though he tried not to show it. "Let me know as soon as you've got something."

"'Course," Owen said and went over to his computer.

Jack stepped closer to Ianto. "Lately, you've been tired a lot. I shouldn't have overlooked that."

"It's okay," Ianto replied. "Didn't pay it any mind, myself." He sat up cautiously, but the pain was really gone. He sighed deeply and rubbed his neck, trying to loosen up stiff muscles. "The Bekaran scanner can't make sense of it," he repeated Owen's assessment. "That's worrying."

"Yeah," Jack replied. "It's from the 35th century. It knows any kind of cancer, it knows a lot of nasty illnesses."

Silence settled between them, only interrupted by Owen muttering to himself about how to download the picture from the scanner to his computer.

Ianto swallowed. "That terrifies me." He tried to laugh, but it got stuck in his throat on its way out.

Jack nodded slowly, crossing the other arm over his chest as well. "We'll deal with whatever it is."

Ianto just hoped it could be dealt with.

xxx

Jack decided that there was nothing he could do for Ianto at the moment. He'd brought him a cup of tea and made him a sandwich and then he lingered for a few minutes, not quite sure if there was anything else Ianto needed. He felt a bit out of depth since this was the first time since their relationship ended that Ianto needed help or didn't feel well and the things Jack usually did to make everything better just didn't apply to them anymore. Gwen and Tosh's arrival at the Hub gave him a good excuse to flee into his office. The women took over motherhenning immediately, very much to Ianto's annoyance if his irritated face was anything to go by. Jack watched them for a few minutes from the door to his office, then his phone called for his attention. He sighed and dropped into his chair, picking up the receiver. "Harkness?"

A male voice answered, _"This is General Leslie."_

"Oh, no," Jack sighed. Ianto managed to escape Gwen and Tosh and went to the coffee machine. Jack saw Tosh join him and start talking to him softly. She was probably more than a bit worried about him and judging by the look Gwen sent in their direction, she was as well. Owen was lounging in his chair, watching the picture from the Bekaran scanner slowly become clearer. Even though the circumstances were anything but good, Jack revelled in the way his team functioned so well together. He focussed his attention on their UNIT liaison. "What can I do for UNIT on such a fine morning? Hopefully not another visit by your precious doctor?"

"_No. Haven't seen him for three months and ain't that a blessing?"_ Leslie answered. _"I'm calling on behalf of the Queen and the Prime Minister. Seems like there's a UNIT case overlapping with a Torchwood case and they want us to work together."_

Ianto entered Jack's office with a mug of coffee and Jack smiled gratefully. He didn't comment on Ianto's paleness or the fact that he'd collapsed in pain not even an hour ago. Ianto was like Jack in so many ways. He needed to be productive and he hated being coddled.

Jack watched Ianto vanish into the corridor leading towards the showers and asked, "What case?"

"_We had four murders on UNIT officers in the last week. Got a nice message with those, too: UNIT – this is your fault."_

Jack froze. "Wait a moment-"

"_Yes, exactly like the message you got with your two murders. Only, we didn't know that until this morning. Apparently, we should think about working together more closely. We didn't have access to your case files. I assume you kept an eye out for similar occurrences but our cases didn't show up. A huge screw-up."_

"I agree. So you're calling me to arrange a get-together?"

"_Yes. We want your team in London right away."_

Jack pulled a face. "Can't take the whole team, I'm afraid. We have kind of a situation here with one of my team members and until my doctor gives me the all-clear, he won't leave the city. Not to mention the active Rift we have here."

"_Alright. Bring whoever you think is necessary to resolve this matter. We have coroners and medics ourselves, so your doctor can stay in Cardiff to care for your man."_

"Appreciate it," Jack replied. "We'll be on the way in under an hour."

xxx

When Jack left his office one call to the Prime Minister later, Gwen turned in his direction and put a warning finger on her lips before nodding towards the couch. There, Ianto sat slumped back and with a file in his slack hands. Jack pressed his lips together and stopped at Owen's desk. "He's sleeping."

Owen nodded. "I know."

"This isn't like him."

"Guess what, I know that as well," Owen answered, irritated. Gwen and Tosh joined them, obviously not about to be left out. Owen was studying Ianto's medical file intently while the scanner image was still being processed by the computer. "Since when would you say he's been showing this exhaustion?"

Jack scrubbed a hand through his hair. "A few days at least. I thought it was just the job. There was a lot going on." He put his hands on his hips, looking at Gwen and Tosh questioningly. He didn't know if they maybe knew more about it than he did and it left a deep ache in his chest even considering the possibility that they would. Neither Gwen nor Tosh said anything, confirming his words. Jack crossed his arms. "Owen, how long 'til you know?"

"Still at least an hour. This isn't CSI, Jack. I can't just pop in a picture and after thirty seconds filled with a cool soundtrack, a clear image comes out. We're using the best software there is thanks to Tosh but … it takes some time."

"Alright," Jack replied. "I'm just worried."

"Yeah, me, too. Don't get me wrong – I want to get to the bottom of this just as quickly as you do." He looked up at Jack, holding his stare with a serious expression on his face. Jack noticed that Gwen was nervously biting her thumb nail and Tosh was fingering her hair. All of them were concerned, no doubt about it.

Jack nodded in acknowledgement. Then he cleared his throat. "In the meantime, I will have to leave. Gwen, you're with me."

Her eyes widened in surprise. "Where are we going?"

"UNIT has some deaths … they could be related to the Golem case."

Tosh stared at him in surprise. "Seriously?"

He nodded. "Looks like it. And it looks like Torchwood isn't the only organization that guy's angry with." He looked at Gwen. "UNIT will meet us in London. We'll be gone for the day." Then he addressed Owen, "Think you can manage?"

"We'll have to," Owen answered.

Gwen pulled her mobile from her jeans pocket. "I'm just going to call Rhys." She hurried away for some privacy.

Jack went over to Ianto and took the file out of his hand. Then he rearranged him to lie stretched out on the couch and took off his shoes. He spread a blanket over him Tosh handed him and then looked down at him with a worried frown. "Ianto's a light sleeper. If it was something harmless, he would be awake now, complaining about me waking him."

"I know," Tosh replied and her small hand closed around Jack's.

"I should have noticed sooner."

"There was no way you could," Tosh said firmly. Jack looked down at her and felt comforted by the gentle look in her dark eyes. "He misses you," she whispered as if confiding a secret that was supposed to be kept just between her and Ianto.

"I miss him, too." He shook his head and watched Ianto for a moment. "I can't be what he wants me to be. I would only hurt him in the end."

"You already did," Tosh said softly. "He doesn't ask for much, you know. He never would."

"But he should. He deserves better, Tosh."

Gwen returned to the main Hub and nodded at Jack while she grabbed her coat from her chair.

Jack cleared his throat. "We better leave now." He kissed Tosh's forehead and whispered, "Take care of him." Then he hurried to his office to get his coat and left.

xxx

"Tosh," Owen said softly, "come here a minute." He sounded hesitant and that alone intrigued Tosh enough to forget about the time lock program she was writing to defend the Hub. It was her current pet project and very complex. She enjoyed the challenge of trying to form a time dilation field around the base to protect it in case of emergency. But Owen seemed to have found something even more interesting. She left her workstation and joined him at his. Ianto was still sleeping on the couch. He would be embarrassed when he woke up. Tosh had already wondered, more than once, if she should wake him. She was sure that he'd want her to but she was worried about him and thought that sleep would only do him good. Owen was pointing at his computer screen. "The picture from the Bekaran scanner's done. Tell me what you see."

"Isn't that your job?" she asked with a smile but turned to look at the picture. It was still grainy, still not quite easy to make out but she thought she saw Ianto's kidney and other organs surrounding it.

"Believe me, I think I know what I see there but I want you to try and guess."

Tosh knew basic human anatomy. She wasn't a doctor, but she could tell when there was something big wrong, like, "What kind of organ is that?" She pointed at a small, oval … thing. From it, several strands led to Ianto's other organs.

"Correct," Owen answered. "It's an organ he shouldn't have. One he certainly didn't have when I did my last check-up."

"Are you telling me that he's grown a new organ?" The possibilities ran through her mind at lightning speed: a parasite, some form of alien cancer, a piece of technology that had entered his body somehow and was now starting to do something to him …

Owen's voice pulled her away from her increasingly awful thoughts. "Yes, and I can even tell you what it is. If Ianto were a woman, I would now congratulate him to his pregnancy."

"Oh God!" Tosh said, putting her hand over her mouth. "He's pregnant?"

"Looks that way. I'm going to do more tests but it looks like Jack managed to knock him up."

Tosh lowered her voice, even though, rationally, she knew there was no reason to. "You think it's Jack's?"

Owen's voice had dropped to a murmur as well. "I don't think that anyone else could be the fa … the other father."

"What about a piece of technology in the archives?"

"Ianto would have mentioned if he'd activated something by accident. He's nothing but careful with that sort of thing."

Tosh nodded. Owen was right. Ianto was almost obsessively careful with the technology he handled down there and rightly so. One wrong button could very well pulverize you. They were quiet for a moment, just staring at Ianto's … uterus and the tiny foetus in it.

Tosh took a breath. "Do you think ..." She paused, feeling like an idiot to even suggest it.

"What?"

"Do you think they were going for a baby?"

Owen laughed and the sudden loud sound startled Myfanwy in her nest and made her cry out in protest. Owen looked over his shoulder at Ianto and Tosh checked on him as well – still asleep. Owen looked up at Tosh. "Don't be ridiculous. First of all, they would never use technology from here to get a baby. Second, they weren't exactly the_ founding a family_ kind of couple. And third, Jack seemed really clueless as to what is wrong with Ianto. If they were going for a child, he would have known that it could have something to do with pregnancy."

From behind them, somebody asked, "Pregnancy?" They turned around to Ianto, who was standing a few steps away, his usually immaculate hair tousled from sleep and his eyes wide with shock. "I'm not pregnant."

Owen cleared his throat. "Sorry, mate. You are."


	9. Chapter 9

**2.**

It was around the middle of the trip to London that Jack and Gwen ran out of topics to talk about. Which wasn't really a problem for Jack but Gwen didn't take it too well. He saw the signs of impending boredom: deep sighs, vacant stares out the passenger window at the landscape flying by, low humming along to the music on the radio and the jiggling of her leg.

And then, she gave in. "So, you and Ianto really split up?"

"Do you think we pretended to just so that you lot had something to gossip about?" he asked, maybe a bit more snappish than he should be. But the first few weeks of meaningful glances in his and Ianto's direction as soon as the lack of flirting was noticed and the whispered conversations that always seemed to come to an abrupt halt when they entered a room had taken their toll. Jack should just shrug her question off, confirm what she thought and get on with life, like he usually did, but somehow, it wasn't that easy.

"No need to bite my head off," Gwen said and looked out the window again. "I just thought you might want to talk about it. You know, an outside view can help sometimes."

"I don't need an outside view."

Gwen sighed and stared out the window. She stayed quiet for the next few minutes. Her words, though, had brought Jack's self-doubts back to life and they demanded to be heard. All the things Ianto had said – the things Jack had dismissed as being quaint and so 21st century – were running through his head again, asking him questions. There was no way he could answer them all by himself and maybe, just maybe, it really would help him to get some closure. He needed to if he wanted his friendship with Ianto back. And who knew … maybe Ianto was already getting advice from Tosh. Why should Jack in turn not ask his friend what she thought? He tightened his grip around the steering wheel. "Do you think we were standing still?"

She seemed to think about that for a moment. "I think it was normal for him to want more out of your relationship." How she'd learned the reason for the break-up, Jack would probably never know. He was just pleased that it meant that he didn't have to explain what had happened.

"Do you know how many relationships I've seen break apart because of Torchwood? I stopped counting sometime in the 1920s. And I've lost some pretty great relationships because of this job myself."

"So you just stopped trying?" Gwen asked. "That's not like you."

"What we had was comfortable. Warm. I enjoyed it big time. And whatever you might think, I respected him: I didn't sleep with other people, I toned down the flirting, even though he never asked me to do that. We went out on dates. I don't get why he wasn't happy."

"He was," Gwen replied. "He was happy and that was why it was only the logical next step for him to ask you to move in. Because he wanted more time with you, away from work." He gave her a sharp glance and she had the decency to blush. "Tosh and Ianto talked and Tosh … told me about the moving in part. She wanted to hear your side of the story … she thought you would have talked to me about it."

Jack pressed his lips together and accelerated a bit, then he took a deep breath and calmed down. "I don't ..." Jack closed his eyes for a second, then he focussed on the street again. "I didn't want him to fall in love with me. I didn't want to fall in love with him. Because it ends. It always does. He would have either died or grown to hate me."

"So what you wanted was a glorified fuck buddy?" Gwen asked, her eyebrows knitted together disapprovingly. "Seriously, Jack … I don't think he was the one with the problem."

xxx

Despite Ianto's vehement refusal to acknowledge Owen's words, Owen assumed that Ianto knew he was right. Owen guessed that he was scared – because Ianto only reluctantly allowed him to take blood for more tests and he flat out refused to put his hand on the body scanner in the med bay – and he could relate. He would be scared, too. Normally, Owen did check-ups on the team every month. He hadn't found anything wrong with Ianto at the last one, just about a month ago. But now, everything was different. "Blood tests confirm it," Owen said, breaking the silence that had reigned in the med bay since he'd drawn Ianto's blood half an hour ago. Tosh was sitting next to Ianto on the examination table, her hair put up into an untidy knot. Ianto was as stone-faced as usual in a crisis but Owen had known him long enough to see the tense lines around his eyes and lips. Oh, yes, he knew.

Even though he said, "No, I'm not pregnant."

Owen had had enough of Ianto telling him that. He grabbed his hand and slapped it on the flat glass surface of the body scanner, waiting for it to kick in. Ianto didn't fight him. He just stared at the scanner passing its light over his palm. Ianto's full-body scan was displayed overly large on the white tiled wall. Owen manipulated the scanner to play sound and the rapid heartbeat of the baby filled the room. "There you go," Owen said. "Pregnant. Eleventh to twelfth week." He saw shock setting in. Ianto's eyes became suspiciously bright with tears, but he swallowed them down and closed his eyes, ducking his head. He pulled his hand away from the scanner and the image and sound vanished. Tosh reached out and gently interlaced the fingers of one hand with Ianto's. Owen sighed deeply. "Right. I've got to call Jack."

"No," Ianto said firmly, "don't tell him."

"He wanted me to call him as soon as I knew what was wrong with you."

"Then tell him it's exhaustion or … you're the doctor, make something up. Don't tell him the truth."

Tosh said gently, "But Jack's going to notice as soon as you start to show."

Silence stretched while Ianto just stared at the floor.

Owen narrowed his eyes. "Except …," he muttered. "Except you want me to get rid of it."

Ianto asked softly, "How long would it take?"

Owen crossed his arms. "I can't do it today. I'd have to prepare myself and we can't be sure when Jack's going to be back. I can, however, advise medical leave for you, get you into a hospital – a friend of mine is the manager of one and he owes me a favour: nobody would ask what we need the OR for. And I don't need assistants – I could use the laser scalpel: no blood flow, fast in, fast out, no scar. You'd be sore for a few days, but … it would work. Give me a couple of days to practice with the scalpel and to analyse your scans and to get everything set up."

Tosh frowned, her dark eyes gazing at Ianto. "Are you sure you want to do that?"

Ianto wiped a hand down his face – it was trembling.

"He might not have much say in the matter," Owen answered. "However this happened, his body's not ready for a pregnancy. I don't think he can carry a child to term."

"Maybe not to term then," Tosh said, frowning at him. "Just long enough to let it live."

"I don't know if that's possible."

"UNIT's done some research. Torchwood One as well. Get Martha in, all the files UNIT has. Just don't say it's impossible without having seen all there is about it."

"I don't need to. He said he doesn't want it. That settles it for me."

Ianto snapped, "Shut up! Both of you." He looked a bit startled over his unusual outbreak, but caught himself quickly. He took a deep breath. "I haven't decided yet." Another deep breath and he grimaced, becoming a bit pale.

Worried, Owen took his wrist, feeling Ianto's pulse quicken. "Ianto?"

"Hurts," he muttered. His hands went to his belly and then he screamed.

xxx

Ianto groaned, clenching his finger in the material of his shirt as if that could stop the final waves of pain shooting through his belly, while Owen helped him to lie down on the examination table. Tosh was standing next to him, brushing a hand through his hair soothingly. "It's getting better, though, isn't it?"

"Yes. Slowly," Ianto answered. He closed his eyes and let out a relieved sigh. He made an effort to relax his whole body and took a few deep breaths.

When he opened his eyes again, Owen was passing the Bekaran scanner over him. "Must be the baby. It's already putting a strain on your insides and you haven't even passed the first trimester, yet." He looked at Ianto, his dark eyes earnest and worried. "You have to abort the pregnancy, Ianto."

Tosh said, "Owen, leave him alone."

Ianto didn't pay them any mind. The only thing he could think about was Jack's reaction. They were slowly getting back to just being comfortable around each other again. This would destroy their efforts completely. "Jack will freak."

Owen snorted. "Forget about Jack for a minute. This is not about him in the least, except when the baby's his, but I don't think it is. How can it be?" His brow furrowed. "Even though … you're about three months along which is approximately the time you split up … did you use condoms?"

Ianto's eyes widened. "Are you serious? I can't get pregnant by not wearing condoms, Owen!" He sounded slightly hysterical and tried to calm down. "And yes, we did."

"Good boy," Owen muttered, already distracted by his scanner again.

"This is a nightmare." Ianto rubbed his belly. It didn't feel any different. But his increase in food-intake and his constant exhaustion made more sense now. He wasn't sure if he should be happy it _wasn't_ some kind of alien disease.

"You clearly have to calm down a bit," Owen said. "Think things through. Decide what you're going to do about it."

Ianto closed his eyes again. "I don't know."

xxx

General Leslie led the way through the corridors of the UNIT UK headquarters in London. Gwen looked around the beige, bleak corridors of the building that was located in London. On the outside, it seemed low-key enough: a simple red brick-building with security guards protecting the entrance hall. Great Marlborough Street was located just off Regent Street and very busy. Gwen doubted that anybody knew what the UNIT emblem even meant, but, as Jack always said, humans from the 21st century tended to ignore things they couldn't understand or believe.

Todd Leslie himself was a man in his early 50s, broad-chested and proudly displaying several medals on his green uniform. The red beret sat on short, brown hair peppered with grey strands and the grey eyes were sharp and attentive. He moved with self-confidence and precision. "All the other victims have already been transported to their families, but our newest victim's still here. She was found early this morning."

Jack asked, "Where?"

"Her flat. Her son found her when he came to visit with his kids. We have no idea who or what could have done this. The only thing we know ..." Leslie opened the door to his office and ushered them inside. "... is that the killings are brutal. Their skulls were literally crushed."

He sat down behind his big, wooden desk and offered them two chairs positioned opposite. The room was just as bleak as the corridor. Aside from the tidy desk and the chairs, only a file cabinet and a bookshelf adorned the walls.

Gwen and Jack settled into the uncomfortable chairs. Jack leaned forwards to support his elbows on his knees and steeple his fingers under his chin. "It's time we compared notes. Clearly, my team has made some significant progress that UNIT hasn't made yet."

Leslie fixed Jack with a surprised stare. "Care to explain?"

"It's a Golem."

Leslie seemed to mull that over a moment, then his eyes widened and he hastily used his keyboard to pull something up on his computer flatscreen. "Project _Horizon_? Are you sure?"

"Absolutely. You know about it?"

"Know about it?" Leslie asked. "It all went down while I was still a child, but it's still talked about around here." He looked at the information displayed on his screen and frowned. "How do you know about it? It was strictly top secret, just between UNIT and Torchwood One. You have no right to access the files."

"We know more than you think," Jack answered. Gwen watched his face harden. "We need full access to your files on it."

Leslie wore an expression that told Gwen that he wasn't happy about the demand. "I'll see what I can do." He pushed the keyboard away and leaned back in his chair. "Do you have any theories?"

"We don't know who could be behind this but somebody has to be responsible. Golems are artificial intelligences but they need to be pointed in a direction to start acting," Jack answered. "Somebody's clearly using them to kill."

Gwen added, "It's revenge."

Leslie nodded. "We figured as much. But for what?"

"Could have something to do with _Horizon_."

Jack winced. "Or not. What we know for a fact, though, is that whoever did this has access to all Golems. There are about a thousand out there somewhere, hidden away."

Leslie blanched. "Tell me you're not serious."

"Why? What's the problem?"

"Only four Golems were built while the project was running."

Silence crashed into the office.

"Four?" Jack echoed finally.

"Yes, they were reported missing after the battle of Canary Wharf but-"

"You knew?" Jack asked in a dangerously low voice.

"During the fall of Torchwood One," Leslie answered, tearing his eyes away from Jack's murderous gaze, "the Golems were stored in a Torchwood One warehouse. We found the alarm systems deactivated and the Golems gone as well as the transmitter that's used to give them orders. We assume that they were activated and transported away. We all know that you can hire people to transport and get them to ask no questions about the cargo. We've been looking for them ever since."

"And you never mentioned it to us?" Jack exploded.

Just as loudly, Leslie answered, "That project was top secret. You shouldn't even know about it, Captain."

"You know that I'm not from around here. I saw these things with my own eyes in various centuries – in the future. They were scavenging for technology and vanished through the Rift. So whoever uses them now, he knows how to manipulate the Rift and he sends them through to steal from the future. And it's your fault!"

All of a sudden, Leslie seemed calm. "Not exactly."

"What do you mean by that?"

"_Horizon_ – I can't tell you a lot about it without getting clearance from my superiors, but I can tell you this: the project started out as a possibility to invent the perfect soldier, but things happened and the goal changed. It became all about stealing technology from the future. Whoever has the Golems now wasn't the first one to send them through the Rift … UNIT and Torchwood One did."

xxx

The water in the bay was troubled today and dark clouds were forming in the sky. Ianto thought it was fitting. He pulled his coat tighter around himself and leaned on the banister separating him from the sea. He stared down into the murky water, wishing for Owen to tell him that it all had been a huge mistake or, at the very least, just a stupid joke. But he knew it wasn't. Owen sometimes went too far with his jokes, but never this far. He was pregnant. It could be Jack's baby or maybe not. It could be an alien baby of some kind. Ianto was afraid to find out. He was afraid of Jack's reaction. He didn't even know why. Jack would look at it calmly, would tell him what they could do and help him make a decision. It wasn't a big deal. Except if it was Jack's baby – no matter how it could have happened … then things would get complicated.

Tosh appeared next to him and took his arm, leaning against his side. "What are you going to do?"

"I don't know," he answered.

xxx

On their way back to Cardiff, Jack was driving aggressively which told Gwen a lot about his current mood. She could understand his annoyance. After two hours of having to wait, Leslie had told them that they wouldn't get access to the necessary files. At least not today. Jack had answered with some very unpleasant curses and accusations that made Gwen wish she was as good at appeasing UNIT as Ianto was and had then stormed off. He'd been broody and snappy ever since and he didn't seem likely to lighten up in the near future. "UNIT's going to keep blocking us."

"You don't know that," Gwen replied. "Leslie said that he just needs to work around some red tape and then we can have access to their files."

"Well, they won't get access to ours until we do, that I can tell you," Jack grumbled.

"I can't believe the both of you. There's someone out there killing people and you just care about your power plays?"

"No, I care about these people, Gwen, but I also care about Torchwood. UNIT sees us as some kind of little brother who has to do what they say or else and that won't do anymore. Besides, I don't trust them." He narrowed his eyes. "They're keeping something from us. I know it. Something doesn't add up in all of this. I just don't know what, yet."


	10. Chapter 10

**3.**

Owen turned to the cogwheel door when it rolled open and Jack and Gwen strode in. Gwen looked like the meeting hadn't been a big success and Jack had murder written all across his face. Owen noticed that Ianto took one look at Jack and then hurried towards the coffee machine while Tosh leaned back in her chair and asked, "What is it?"

Jack shrugged off his coat and leaned into his office to throw it towards the hook, then he turned back to his team to answer, "Top secret files. Leslie has to clear it with his superiors first. The little we know certainly isn't good." Jack's eyes caught Ianto at the coffee machine and softened. "How are you feeling?"

"Better," Ianto answered.

Owen cleared his throat. "About that," he started, caught Ianto's pleading look and swallowed. He didn't quite know what to do to be honest. It was his responsibility to tell Jack the truth, he was the leader and this was quite surely a Torchwood matter. On the other hand, he could see Ianto's point.

Jack noticed the hesitation and frowned in concern. "What? What's wrong?"

"I ran all the usual tests on Ianto. I wanted to make sure."

Jack nodded.

Owen glanced at Ianto, who bit his lip and turned away. Owen silently cursed himself and said, "Exhaustion. That's all." He caught Ianto's surprised look. "He has to take it easy over the next few weeks." He cleared his throat. "I recommend … plenty of rest and … no coffee."

Ianto stared at him incredulously. "No coffee?"

"Hey, it's your _exhaustion_," Owen answered, irritated about having to lie to Jack. "It's common knowledge that coffee's not good for you when you're _exhausted_."

Ianto glared at him in warning.

Jack frowned. "Alright."

Hurriedly, Tosh changed the subject. "So what did you find out at UNIT?"

Gwen dropped into her chair tiredly. "Well, we found out that it wasn't the killer who sent the robots throughout time. Or at least not just him."

Jack accepted the mug Ianto handed him. "Project _Horizon_ was something UNIT and Torchwood worked on together and they sent the robots throughout time to scavenge technology."

"That's all they could tell us," Gwen said.

"So they say," Jack muttered.

"But Leslie's looking into it and will get us more clearance," Gwen added with a warning glare in his direction. Her glare turned into a smile when Ianto handed her her coffee.

"Fact is, we'll work on this together," Jack said with a shrug. "For the time being, we hold the fort in South Wales and UNIT around London, since those seem to be the preferred areas for the killer to strike. Tosh, I know that you can't break through the encryptions in the _Horizon_ files, but maybe we can take a small detour to find out more about a transmitter Leslie admitted was stolen. It's used to give the Golems their orders and I guess that they relay their messages to each other using it."

She shrugged. "That could be possible. What are you thinking?"

"Tracking. If we can find out more about how the transmitter works, maybe you'll be able to write a detection program."

Her eyes widened. "That's … actually a good idea." She turned to her computer.

Jack shrugged. "It happens."

xxx

Ianto waved Tosh good-bye when she left just an hour later. Jack had decided that they should take every chance they got to rest – just in case – and sent the team home. Even though Ianto knew that he was included in that order, he couldn't leave. He felt too much on edge, too nervous. Even though he was tired, he knew that he wouldn't be able to sleep once he was home. So he kept circling the Hub, looking for trash to pick up and dispose of. He still didn't know what to do about the baby – if it was a human baby. They couldn't be sure yet. Owen had said something about doing more tests first thing in the morning, as soon as they could get away from the main Hub for a while, away from Jack's eyes. But what would he do if it was human? What would he do if it was Jack's?

Jack's voice coming from his office door and echoing through the cavernous room startled him. "Ianto Jones," he said firmly, "I sent all of you home. What makes you think you're excluded, especially considering the circumstances?"

"The circumstances," Ianto muttered and chuckled without humour. Then he caught himself and looked at Jack. He was leaning against the door to his office, his braces hanging down around his hips and a white t-shirt peeking out between the unbuttoned edges of his dark-blue shirt. He was downright gorgeous, as always, and Ianto missed him so much it hurt. "Just finishing up."

"I want you to go."

"I'll only need five more minutes."

"Now."

Ianto glared at him. "Stop mothering me. You've lost that right." He became aware of what he'd said and wanted to apologize but Jack interrupted him.

"What if I want to have it back?"

Ianto almost dropped the trash bag. Jack stepped closer slowly, his hands buried deep in his pockets. "I miss you."

Ianto felt like his chest was constricting him, choking him. "You miss the sex."

Jack's voice was quiet, intimate, just like his eyes. "I miss talking until two in the morning and filling out paperwork in bed and having dinner together and not having to explain why I need distance and some time alone."

Ianto closed his eyes. "Don't do this to me."

"Why not?" Jack asked, clearly hurt by Ianto turning him away.

Ianto felt all his fear and frustration and insecurity push away his forced calm and snapped, "Because you don't want me, Jack. You want all those things, you don't want to be alone but in the end, it doesn't really matter who you are shagging. It could be Gwen or Tosh or some guy you pick up in a bar. They could give you all these things … it's just less work trying to come back to me."

Jack was staring at him as if he'd never seen him before. "That hurt. I'm being honest here."

"Who cares?" Ianto yelled. "It's too late." He dropped the bin bag and pointed one angry finger at Jack. "I gave you everything. Always. And I asked for a small thing – just a bit of your endless amount of time. And you couldn't give me that. How am I to believe that you changed your mind when it's obvious that you're just desperate to get laid?"

"That's not what this is about," Jack answered loudly, putting his hands on his hips. "Gods, you make this so complicated."

"How very 21st century of me," Ianto mocked. "I bet you wish you'd just executed me when I-"

"Shut up!" Jack yelled. He was standing so close suddenly and Ianto took a startled step back. They were both breathing hard and Ianto was surprised to notice tears brimming in Jack's eyes. "Don't say that ever again," Jack whispered. "Don't you dare and say that I should have killed you."

"Another thing you don't want to hear me say," Ianto answered. "I only noticed when it was over and I thought about it properly that I was never able to say it. You wouldn't let me. You saw it coming and you managed to distract me every single time." He took a deep breath. "Well, listen now and take it or leave it: I love you. And if you want to be with me, you'll have to deal with that and everything it entails. Otherwise … just leave me alone." Ianto turned away and headed for the cogwheel door, fighting against an onslaught of tears. He left Jack in the Hub, he left his words hanging in the air, all of them unspoken for so long ... and finally, he felt able to breathe again.

xxx

As soon as Owen entered the Hub with Tosh and Gwen early the next morning, Jack's voice thundered through the cavernous space. "Boardroom, now!" With that, he turned away and headed down.

Owen looked at Gwen and Tosh. "Somebody is grumpy today."

Gwen giggled and Tosh just rolled her eyes. While Gwen went to the kitchen niche to get herself a biscuit, Tosh leaned closer and whispered to Owen, "Do you think he knows? About Ianto, I mean."

"I don't think so," Owen answered. He looked around but Ianto was nowhere to be seen. Owen hoped that he was still at home, resting, but he didn't count on it. It was more likely that he was already in the boardroom, setting everything up for the meeting.

As soon as he entered the boardroom with Gwen and Tosh in tow, though, they knew for sure that it wasn't about Ianto. Pictures of all the Golem victims were displayed on the flatscreen behind Jack's seat at the head of the table. Beside their own victims, four new ones had joined the group and Owen suspected that those were UNIT's cases. Apparently, some case files had made their way over to Cardiff during the night.

Jack was standing next to the flatscreen, his arms crossed and brows furrowed. He barely waited for them to settle into their chairs before he started, "We have a lot of work today. Following up leads."

Owen leaned back in his chair. "What leads? We haven't had a lead for weeks." He noticed Ianto in the small alcove that held the coffee machine. He was quiet, pale and held himself rigid as if he was trying not to show that he was uncomfortable in some way. Owen frowned in concern.

"We have one, now. UNIT sent me a report this morning. They've been authorized to disclose at least some facts about Project _Horizon_ and they started by dropping quite a bomb on us. All the victims from UNIT were at some point involved in the project."

Gwen's eyes widened. "So they're not random victims, then?"

"No. Which leads us to these," Jack said and bent down to lift and dump several boxes on top of the table. "We got them out of the archives this morning. Personnel files from Torchwood One."

Owen cursed inwardly and just managed to hold his tongue about Ianto lifting heavy boxes. Jack didn't know. Instead, Owen focussed on the case. "Files from Torchwood One? Why?"

Gwen rubbed her forehead. "Because since the UNIT victims were associated with the project, the other victims could be as well. UNIT would know if they were part of them. They aren't. They're Torchwood."

Jack nodded. "We've got six victims in total. Four UNIT – the other two have to be Torchwood One."

Tosh frowned. "But I cross-referenced our victims' names. They didn't come up in our database."

"Because they aren't their names."

Owen sighed as he understood. "They were Torchwood One, worked on the project and then got retconned – new names, new identities."

"We were fooled by our own techniques," Jack said with a nod. "We have to find out who they were to make sure. And there's not other way but to dive in and look at all of the personnel files from the early 60s to see what all of them were up to during that time."

Ianto cleared his throat. "Unfortunately, I haven't got to the personnel files, yet. They're not digitalized."

"So it's good old detective work," Jack said.

Owen stared at the boxes dreadfully. "It's going to be a long day." He caught Ianto reaching out a hand to steady himself against the wall, the other hand pressed against his belly. He was becoming paler by the minute.

"Yes, a long day. I suggest we-"

"Ianto?" Owen interrupted Jack and got up. He walked around the table to Ianto's side, taking his arm.

"It's nothing," Ianto answered. He gasped.

Owen put a hand against his forehead. "Don't tell me it's nothing. You're clammy and trembling."

Jack came over to them and from the corner of his eye, Owen saw Gwen stand up and Tosh pressing her hand on her mouth in concern. Jack took Ianto's other arm and asked, "What's going on?"

Ianto looked sharply at Owen. "Don't."

Owen asked, "It's another cramp, right?"

"Don't you dare-"

"Shut up, Ianto! This quit being a small thing a while ago!" Owen looked at Jack and together, they helped Ianto into one of the chairs. Ianto immediately bent forwards, groaning softly. He was in pain alright.

Jack gave Owen a demanding and worried look. "Owen?"

"You should sit down as well," Owen muttered, kneeling before Ianto to take his pulse.

"Quit playing games!" Jack snapped and put his hands on Ianto's shoulders.

Ianto's breathing grew more ragged by the minute an he started to whimper.

"What's going on?"

Ianto screamed and then sagged forward and into Owen's chest. Owen took his weight and laid him on the floor, realizing that he'd lost consciousness. Tosh pulled off her cardigan and put it underneath Ianto's head. Owen checked Ianto's breathing.

"What aren't you telling me?" Jack asked.

Owen looked up at him sharply. "He's pregnant." Jack's expression would have been funny if Owen hadn't been so damned scared. "He's going to have a baby."


	11. Chapter 11

**4.**

Ianto came to on the couch in the main Hub. He was covered by a woollen blanket and somebody had removed his suit jacket and shoes. When he turned his head cautiously, he saw Tosh at her workstation, talking softly and animatedly to Jack who nodded every once in a while. He found Owen and Gwen at Owen's desk, silent. Owen was studying a file and Gwen was reading another one.

Ianto felt strangely excluded, as if he wasn't part of the team anymore. The feeling was similar to how he'd felt in those first few months of his employment when keeping his distance had been important to protect Lisa. By now, though, he'd gotten used to being in the middle of it all, just like everybody else. He looked at Jack for quite a while, until his stare was noticed. Jack's face turned towards him and Ianto noticed how drawn and pale he looked. Ianto had expected something like this, had expected Jack to be mistrustful of the whole situation, but now that the time had come that everybody knew, he felt awkwardly vulnerable. Like a threat he didn't want to pose. Jack put a hand on Tosh's shoulder and then walked over to Ianto slowly, pushing his hands in his trouser pockets. Ianto pulled the blanket higher and tried to relax into the embrace of the old couch, then he folded his hands on his belly and said, "I asked Owen not to tell you."

"So he said," Jack replied.

"I'm sorry," Ianto whispered.

"For not telling me?" Jack asked. "You damn well should be. This isn't exactly a paper cut, Ianto." His voice was sharp and echoed through the cavernous room, drawing the others' attention. Embarrassment heated Ianto's cheeks and he fought the urge to pull the blanket even higher. Jack let out a breath. "If you mean that you're sorry for the pregnancy, no need to be. It's hardly your fault." He looked at Owen. "How long until you can remove it?"

Gwen's eyes widened. "Jack!" She got up from the chair and put the file down.

"Gwen!" he answered just as sharply. "Ianto is pregnant. There's no way this could have happened naturally, so I assume technology. It's a work accident, it happens. We'll take care of it."

Ianto didn't know why he felt tears gather in his eyes at those words.

"You're talking about this like it doesn't mean a thing," Gwen said, her brows furrowed. "As if you'd talk about a splinter or a tumour. Let's call it what it is: abortion. So it's not your decision. It's entirely up to Ianto."

Jack turned to Ianto and raised one eyebrow in challenge. "Well, what do you say? Want to keep whatever it is?"

It was obvious that the question was asked to annoy Gwen and not to get Ianto's opinion, so he ducked his head and avoided Jack's eyes.

Owen cleared his throat. "As I already said, Jack, even with technology involved, it could very well be a human baby. It could be your baby as well as Ianto's."

"And that changes everything?" Jack asked.

Ianto whispered, "Yes." Everyone turned to look at him and he felt even more ashamed, then slightly angry at himself for feeling that way. It was his decision to make … wasn't it? "I need at least a little time to think about what to do."

Owen leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. "Be reasonable, Jack. Whatever it is, it's in Ianto's body and it looks like a human foetus. The computer's already working on the results of the tests I did while Ianto was unconscious. With a bit of luck, we will have a DNA profile in about an hour." He raised his eyebrows and looked at Ianto. "Even though I strongly recommend an abortion. Your body wouldn't be able to handle the pregnancy. It's starting to show severe signs of giving in already."

Jack's voice was toneless when he replied, "Those cramps are normal." He pressed his lips together for a moment, looking from Owen to Ianto and then back. "Fine. We wait for the results, let's see what we're dealing with." With that, he turned away and headed for his office. The door slammed shut.

Ianto bit his lip. Gwen sighed deeply and smiled at him. "I'm going to talk to him."

Ianto nodded. He knew it wouldn't do for him to go up there. Jack had made it clear that he wouldn't talk to him right now. Ianto had expected that reaction – he'd feared it, but expected it. And it was reasonable from Jack to be mistrustful and careful. So why did it hurt so much?

xxx

"What the hell, Jack?" Gwen asked and slammed the door to his office, shutting the team out of their discussion. Sometimes, she revelled in the opportunity to be able to berate Jack. It was a guilty pleasure, but he treated them like children often enough for her not to feel too bad about it. She knew that he hadn't grown up on this world, in this time, but she always thought that was no excuse for him to get all high and mighty.

He was sitting in his chair, his head in his hands and his shoulders hunched. Gwen fought against feeling sympathy. Right this moment, Ianto deserved it more. Jack looked up from his desk. "I know. I was a bit too harsh."

"You were a monster, Jack," Gwen said. She put her hands on her hips and softened her approach. "Listen, this is difficult and I get that you need time, but Ianto's the one who's having the worst of it. He needs your support right now. Whatever he decides-"

"_Whatever_ he decides?" Jack asked incredulously. "Gwen, there's nothing to decide. This shouldn't have happened."

"But it did."

"It's not our baby."

"What if it is?" Gwen asked.

Silence slammed into the office. There it was, the elephant in the room. Gwen had read the things Owen had gathered about human male pregnancy since he'd first diagnosed Ianto. She'd seen images of scans. They looked like Ianto's. They were quite possibly talking about a human baby. Jack and Ianto's child.

Jack rubbed his forehead. He looked tortured and tired and all the things she didn't want him to be, but she couldn't back down now. "I never would have taken you for the kind of guy who forces a person they love to abort – not matter if it's a woman or a man."

"I can't do this right now."

Gwen noticed that he didn't say anything about her referring to Ianto as the person he loved. That gave her a small spark of hope. "You have to do this right now. There's no way you can just push this discussion back until further notice. It's happening _now_. And you heard what Owen said. Ianto's three months along. The pregnancy is putting a strain on his body." She leaned against the desk. "You said it's normal, though? These … cramps?"

"They're normal for male pregnancy in my time." He thinned his lips. "In _my_ time. I have no idea, actually, if Ianto can carry that baby to term … if it's human." He sighed and closed his eyes. "I can't believe he's considering it."

"All risks aside," Gwen said, "would that be so bad?"

Jack didn't answer. He just stared at his desk.

Gwen continued, "Because if he wants to do this and have this baby, then we should support him."

Jack looked at her sharply. "I don't want a baby." He snorted. "We're not even … there's nothing between us. Nothing that could give a baby a stable life."

"You wouldn't be the first couple that raises kids without being together."

Jack looked at her solemnly. "I've learned my lesson, Gwen. I don't want a family. Of any kind."

xxx

Gwen had left Jack's office with an uneasy glance in Ianto's direction. He hadn't really expected her to make any headway. Jack had told Ianto many things about his life, not minding any questions heading his way … except when it was about family. Ianto didn't know anything at all about Jack's parents, if he had siblings. He didn't know if Jack had any children. Of course, Jack had been here for a very long time. It was almost impossible that he'd avoided having a child all this time. But he wouldn't talk about it and after he'd asked the first time, Ianto could tell that questions like that weren't allowed. That, of course, didn't bode well for him.

It took at least another hour for Jack to come out of his office again. Ianto, at Owen's insistence, spent the time resting while the others worked. Owen had left in a hurry for the archives about half an hour ago, turning down Ianto's offer to help him find whatever he was looking for. Ianto feared for his neat organization but he didn't have the energy to follow Owen. Tosh had found one file on the transmitter Jack had told them about and was busy writing a detection program that would enable them to catch the regular transmissions an active Golem sent to his kind and track it back to its origin. That way, she hoped to be able to find a Golem on the move before anybody could be harmed. Gwen was busy reading up on male pregnancy and encouraging Ianto to eat.

Ianto had been napping, feeling exhausted – physically and emotionally – so Jack's sudden appearance beside the couch startled him.

Jack said, "I'd like to talk to you. Alone." And then, "In private."

Ianto knew that Jack wasn't talking about sending Gwen and Tosh away. 'In private' meant that he wanted to be away from the team and away from CCTV audio – his office had CCTV installed, but there was no audio feed. Ianto nodded and sat up slowly. "Your office?"

Jack nodded curtly. Then, as if he'd hesitated, he offered Ianto a hand. "Can you walk?"

"I feel better," Ianto answered and let Jack help him to his feet. "Not dizzy anymore. The pain's gone." To his surprise, Jack didn't let go of his hand while he led him to his office. Jack kicked the door shut while Ianto settled in a chair he'd pulled in front of Jack's desk.

Jack sat in his own chair and leaned back, one of his hands going to his face, his fingers pinching his lower lip thoughtfully. "Let's talk hypothetics. Because it's pretty obvious that – should that baby not be human – we will remove it immediately. Are we on the same page on that?"

Ianto nodded. "Yes."

"Alright. So in my time, men can carry babies to term. The cramps you're experiencing are part of the process. Male pregnancy is possible but not easy for humans. Your body needs to adapt and make room and it's not built for that kind of thing – not like a woman's body. So male pregnancy comes with a lot of problems: these cramps will only get worse before they get better around the sixth month in. Exhaustion is normal, and I'm talking extreme exhaustion. And then there are the not so bad side effects like increased appetite. These are things that men from the 51st century have to expect when they're expecting. Provided they get proper healthcare, they have no problems giving birth." He sighed deeply. "But you're from the 20th century. Your body isn't that well able to adapt. You could have internal bleeding, lose the baby or have a heart attack." He took a deep breath. "Hypothetics: let's say that baby's human – will you try and carry it to term?"

Ianto swallowed and rubbed his forehead, feeling a headache build. "There's no way to be sure that I can't do it?"

"No, there isn't. We have Owen and maybe Martha to help, the knowledge about alien technology. What we haven't got is proper healthcare for cases like you and the fact that your body's not equipped to handle this. You could make it or not. There's no way to know."

Ianto leaned forwards. "Hypothetics: that baby's human and I carry it to term and we're both fine … what will happen then?"

Jack crossed his arms and took a deep breath. His eyes remained steadily on Ianto as if he was forcing himself not to look away. "I have two female agents, Ianto. I'm not against anyone starting a family. You'd keep your job as an archivist, same pay, but you would of course only get field assignments if it's absolutely necessary. Should it become necessary, Torchwood will pay for childcare, a nanny or something similar. There's no problem with you taking days off to be with the child."

"That's nice but not what I was talking about. I know the rules," Ianto said. He found that he didn't have the same amount of strength Jack was showing and ducked his head to not have to look at him. "What if it's yours?"

"I can't do this, Ianto."

"So what … you'd deny its existence?" Ianto looked up at Jack again, angry beyond belief.

"We wouldn't move in together to start a happy family."

"I never asked you to," Ianto replied. "Stop turning me into a love-sick idiot!"

Jack frowned, irritation clearly getting the better of him. "I wasn't implying-"

The door burst open and Owen breezed in. "Right, we've got a problem."

The frustration Jack had held on to during the talk seemed to have found the perfect target. He snapped, "You're interrupting an important conversation."

Owen didn't seem fazed. "Yeah, well, maybe you want to have all the facts before you decide what to do."

Ianto turned around to Owen. "Which are?" He didn't know what to hope for. He didn't know what he wanted it to be.

Owen cleared his throat and focused his eyes on Ianto. "DNA matches up: it's Jack's baby." Silence settled in the office, then Owen added, "Well, it's got the combined genes of both of you to be precise. Absolutely magnificent from a scientific point of view – I'd like to know how that's been done."

Jack growled, "Me too."

Ianto didn't dare to look at him. He was too preoccupied with his own feelings on the matter to care about Jack's at the moment. Or rather he was too preoccupied with the lack of feelings on his side. Shouldn't he feel something? Or was it just shock?

"I might have an answer," Owen continued. "Peralta."

Ianto closed his eyes. Somehow, he'd already suspected. Jack slamming his fist on the desk made Ianto jump. "I knew it."

"Yes, you did," Owen answered. "I read up on his transplant technique for regenerative medicine. I found something very interesting. Among other things, his studies were about how to become independent from organ donators. He invented a neat little technique. Evolutionary. Genius, I might even say."

"Owen," Jack snapped.

"It's called a nano ball. It consists of nanogenes, which can be programmed to do whatever you want. They can be used to repair skin tissue and the like. Now, the nano ball is made up from millions of them. You just plant it into the body and it grows into whatever organ it is programmed for, but it uses the body to get the bloodtype just right to reduce the danger of the body rejecting the organ to 3%. In only a few months, you have a fully functioning organ grown right inside you. Minimum invasive surgery, since the size of the nano ball you insert fits into a pipette. I guess he used a nano ball to give Ianto an uterus. Apparently, Peralta didn't only implant the uterus but also made it ready for use by using somatic-cell nuclear transfer ..." He paused when they just looked at him quizzically. "In a nutshell, he used cloning methods, creating an egg with the genes of one of you and using the other's sperm. The rest, as they say, is history. It's what he did with those UNIT soldiers. Just a bit more refined."

"And you didn't see it? You examined him after I got worried about Peralta. What, were you just lazy?" Jack asked.

"I was unable to see it because it was tiny. It only grew when the foetus started to." He sighed deeply. "So Ianto's pregnant with your baby, Jack. It's human. It's healthy, at the moment." He crossed his arms. "Now what?"

xxx

It didn't take long for Jack's angry call to Leslie to show some results. Leslie actually seemed to be rather shocked himself about what Peralta had done and after he'd called in some favours and pressed some charges in Torchwood's name, UNIT was arresting Peralta and having him put on a plane to Cardiff.

The time until he arrived was filled with research, several phone calls to Martha and three visits to the archives, just to emerge with several boxes full of files on male pregnancy originating from UNIT and the Torchwood branches. Gwen signed herself up to be Owen's research assistant and while they worked through the files, Tosh worked on the detection program for the Golems and Jack split his attention between both. Ianto kept himself isolated from all of them. He'd told them that he was going to go and get some sleep in the guest quarters, but the CCTV showed Jack that he kept tossing and turning, only nodding off for half an hour at the most before waking up again. Jack caught himself thinking that he should get Ianto back on the couch, back into their midst … but he couldn't. Ianto hadn't given them an answer and that meant that he was at least considering trying to carry the baby and Jack couldn't handle that, yet. Maybe he would never be able to. He'd had family before. Several times, even. One didn't enjoy life on Earth for several decades and not end up with a child – by accident or on purpose. But it had never worked out. Partners outside of Torchwood couldn't be part of Jack's life because they didn't know about his immortality. And partners who knew – he'd had three children with three female agents – always told him that they understood, but in the end … they never had. They'd quit Torchwood because they were unable to see Jack anymore or they'd run away for the same reason. It hurt, a lot. Even today. And Jack didn't think he would be able to ever bear that pain again. To fall in love with the thought of having a family, a place he really belonged … just to have it snatched away. It was easier to deny himself from the start. And since Ianto could never be just Ianto but would always be a father, would have that child as part of his life … Jack had to deny himself.

He stood by with his arms crossed and his face grim when two UNIT soldiers brought Peralta through the cogwheel door and proceeded to follow Gwen's lead down to the conference room. Behind them, Martha Jones entered the Hub, her dark eyes seeking out Jack immediately. She fell into his arms and pressed a kiss to his cheek.

"This is insane," she said. "He admitted to it during the flight. We've got it on record and everything."

"I hope you're going to make him regret what he did this time. UNIT has been awfully nice to him in the past."

"Believe me, he got a warning last time. This time, I will personally see to it that the matter won't be dropped."

Jack nodded gratefully and smiled at her. It was a relief to have her here. He loved his team, but Martha was just different. She'd been there through the whole horrible year that Earth had been in the Master's hands. She was one of the very few people on Earth who still remembered. She and Jack would share this experience, this bond, until the end of their days. Just as they shared their unrequited love for the Doctor.

Jack whispered, "Thanks for coming."

Martha's features softened. "No problem. I just don't know what I can do to help. I brought all of Peralta's files on his past experiments and on the nano balls but other than that ..."

"We'll need your help to keep UNIT off our backs. Leslie called me. They insist on having someone here because Peralta used their materials so Ianto's baby is practically partly their experiment. I'd rather have you here as an official than someone I don't know. This is bad enough as it is and after Peralta, I don't trust anyone from UNIT but you."

"I'm flattered," she answered and then, after a pause, asked, "How's Ianto?"

"Confused. Confused and pregnant with my baby … and I think he'll want to keep it."


	12. Chapter 12

**5.**

"He better keep it," Peralta said with a smile and looked from his seat at the head of the boardroom table up at Jack who was standing before him with his arms crossed and a scowl on his face. Gwen was actually more concerned about Jack doing something stupid than Peralta. He had murder written all over his face, darkening the handsome features to something twisted and wrong that she didn't want associate with him. Peralta was still being watched attentively by the two soldiers standing at ease on either side. He didn't seem bothered by his situation … almost relaxed. "I put a lot of hard work into it. It was nerve-wrecking, waiting for your call. I was beginning to think he'd miscarried."

With a shudder, Gwen realized that Peralta had planned this from the start. Owen thought that he'd used the samples gathered from them – with their consent – to start his experiment. She was suddenly glad that Ianto wasn't here. He'd wanted to come but Jack had put his foot down, his protective streak coming through. And Ianto, probably too tired to argue, had accepted that.

Owen folded his hands on the table. Gwen knew him well enough to see that he was just about reigning himself in. "Well, he didn't," he said. "It's a perfectly healthy baby. At least for the moment. There's no way of knowing how this will end."

"Oh, don't you worry," Peralta replied. "It'll work. I screwed up in the past but this time, I got everything right." He grinned at Jack. "You'll see."

Jack's eyes narrowed and Martha, sensing oncoming danger, asked, "How did you do it?" She was sitting next to Owen, taking notes.

"Cunning," Peralta answered. "I used my nano balls for the uterus. I used cloning technique for the insemination." He stared at Jack with wide, amazed eyes. "It's genius!" Jack just glared at him and Peralta's smile faded and he shrugged, almost apologetically. "Yeah, so I shouldn't have used your DNA. I admit, that was a bit … I don't know. I liked what the two of you have. I guess I'm a romantic at heart." He smiled again and Gwen wondered if he was maybe insane. "You don't seem too happy, Captain. You're going to be a daddy."

Jack's palm slammed on the conference table. "I don't want to be one! You had no right to interfere with our lives that way! You had no right to do that to Ianto!"

"Trouble in paradise?" Peralta asked. Before anyone could stop him, Jack had hit Peralta, who, still handcuffed, fell out of his chair to the floor. Gwen grabbed Jack's arm and wrapped her other arm around him, trying to keep him contained when he charged towards Peralta again. The soldiers took up position between the two men.

Jack stopped struggling and shook Gwen off, muttering, "I'm done."

Peralta looked at Jack, shocked, his hands pressed to his nose. Blood was welling up between his fingers. "If I'd known this would be your reaction, I would have used my own DNA in combination with Mr. Jones's."

Gwen saw the next hit coming and grabbed Jack's arm, before he could strike Peralta again. "What you did," Jack yelled, "is just as bad as rape, you bastard! Don't you you get it? I guarantee that you won't set eyes on Ianto while you're here. Never again." He turned to Owen. "Get all the information you need and then get him away from here." With that, he stalked out of the room and slammed the door.

xxx

Ianto stepped into the lab hesitantly, carrying the mug of coffee for Martha almost like a protective shield. He didn't know why he felt so nervous. This were just Martha and Owen and he trusted them both with his life – already had depended on them to protect it. But this was different. This was him making a decision that he just knew would antagonize Jack and maybe not just him. It was a decision that would make his life unbearably difficult – but then again, it always kind of had been. It was a decision that would change everything – but change wasn't always bad. It was a decision that he'd probably already made days ago, subconsciously. And now it was time to face facts and see if they could live up to his hopes.

He found Martha and Owen amidst a forest of scientific paraphenelia, between chemicals cooking away in test tubes and flatscreens displaying what microscopes were seeing. Martha and Owen were talking in hushed tones when Ianto cleared his throat softly. They turned to him and Martha gifted him with a smile. "Hello, Ianto. Haven't seen you in a while."

"Since you left Cardiff the last time, actually," he answered.

"Looking good," Martha said and Ianto noticed her eyes lingering on his belly, hidden away underneath his shirt. He suddenly felt uncomfortable in his own body. He hadn't been able to close his suit jacket this morning, the threads holding the button straining against what was unmistakably him starting to show. Ianto had just sat in the shower room in the basement of the Hub for an hour, working through that realization. He hadn't felt comfortable leaving the suit jacket in the locker and only wearing the still-fitting trousers, tie and shirt … but now, wearing it open, he felt unprofessional and stupid. He should take it off ...

Owen snorted, startling him out of his thoughts. He shoved his hands into his lab coat. Ianto suspected that he only owned one because he wanted to seem more professional every once in a while. He rarely wore it, the white material still starch stiff and white. The lab coat Martha was wearing over her red jumper and dark jeans on the other hand was clearly worn, moulded to her shoulders in just the right way.

Ianto shook himself out of his reverie. He had to get a grip … but he felt exhausted and coffee was off-limits. He gave Martha an embarrassed smile. "I look tired."

Martha grimaced. "Yeah, sorry. You look horrible."

"Thanks." He handed her the coffee, inhaling its scent one last time before stepping back.

Martha's eyes slid to his belly once again. "You can't button up your jacket?"

"It's a matter of inches."

"You're starting to show earlier than women."

Owen sighed, "It's barely visible. Not even a bump. Looks as if you've had a healthy meal."

Ianto didn't want to talk about his belly anymore, so he asked, "Have you made any progress with Peralta's files?"

"Well, we learned some things about how Peralta did it, but the techniques used are not important in the long run. Unfortunately, there are barely any notes on the pregnancy itself, since former test subjects miscarried early on. No information about abortion."

"Delivery?" Ianto asked.

Martha and Owen looked at each other and Martha raised one eyebrow while Owen just pulled a face. Martha cleared her throat. "We considered that – a Ceasarean will work. The birth will be risky since the water will break but it has … nowhere to go. It's … it would be best to deliver earlier than your body wants you to deliver, to be on the safe side."

Owen nodded. "Maybe three weeks before the official date."

Ianto asked, "Could you do it? Deliver it?"

Owen and Martha looked at each other again. Owen crossed his arms and leaned back against a table. Martha looked at Ianto carefully. "Is there a reason you aren't asking anything about abortion, Ianto?"

"Yes. I'd like to have it." The words came easy. He'd practised them in his head long enough.

"Ianto, are you sure about that?"

He swallowed. "I'm sure that I don't want to abort." Silence engulfed them, until Ianto broke it with a nervous laugh. "Women make these decisions all the time! They have babies even though … the pregnancy wasn't planned. Why shouldn't I?"

"It's okay," Martha said, raising a hand as if to calm down a nervous horse. "It's just a big step."

"I'm aware of that."

Owen asked, "What does Jack say?"

"You heard him." He closed his eyes. "But I want to try."

He felt Martha take his hand and squeeze it. "Okay. Then we'll do our best."

xxx

When Ianto entered his office, Jack looked at him questioningly. "Are they making any progress?"

Ianto nodded. "Yes, actually." He stopped in front of the desk and folded his hands behind his back, then decided otherwise and crossed them on his chest. Jack felt his eyes drawn to the belly underneath. He masked the slip by ducking his head to study some forms he had to sign to approve Martha's involvement. Ianto's voice pulled him out of his thoughts. "I guess that the combined knowledge we could gather will help them to … deal with the situation."

"Good," Jack said. And then, for lack of anything else, he repeated, "Good." He looked up. Ianto's face was impassive, giving nothing away and Jack hated this. Hated what had become of them over such a short amount of time. He used to be able to see what Ianto was thinking – because Ianto had allowed him to see. He was no longer granted that privilege, though. He cleared his throat, not sure how to broach the subject that hung in the air like smoke. "What will they deal with?"

Ianto didn't answer and it was answer enough. Finally, he said, "Don't try to talk me out of it. I know it's stupid and … maybe … silly or …" Ianto stopped himself. He looked Jack in the eyes. "But I want this so much. It surprised me but … I want it so, _so_ much. It's …" He shook his head, obviously unable to explain. "I don't think abortion was ever an option, Jack. I always wanted children."

Jack bit his lip. "I guess it's your decision."

"It is," Ianto answered. He stared at Jack for a long moment, then he opened his mouth to say something …

… just to be interrupted by the door bursting open and Tosh entering. "Jack!" she said, breathlessly. "My detection program works. I've got a Golem on my scanners. It's in Bristol."

Jack jumped to his feet, somewhat glad for the distraction. "Call UNIT. I want back-up on this one and they might be there faster than we. I want you, Gwen and Owen in on this. Get ready."

She nodded and left.

Jack looked at Ianto. "You should go home. Get some proper rest in a proper bed." He made for his coat hanging on a hook in the corner of his office but Ianto surprised him by being there faster. He held the coat open for him, smoothing it down on his shoulders. When he was done, Jack turned around to Ianto. "I'm sorry," he whispered.

Ianto nodded, avoiding his eyes. "I know."

Jack left his office, left Ianto behind, and tried to ignore the sadness welling up in him.

xxx

Martha looked around Ianto's living room. The flat was small and tidy, the furniture simple, but arranged in a way that made the tiny space seem more spacious. The living room was the most lived-in part of the flat, containing everything that defined Ianto's taste: his books, his DVDs, music, some prints of classic movie posters on the walls and pictures of the team on the shelves. Martha found a copy of _The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy_ and opened it curiously. She'd never read it but had always planned to. She was just about to ask Ianto if she could borrow it for the duration of her stay when she found the hand-written note on the inside of the cover.

_Jack,_

_because it reminded me of you._

_Ianto_

She heard a spoon clatter into the sink in the kitchen niche behind her and hurriedly put the book – Jack's book – back, instead focusing on the DVDs. "James Bond, huh?" she asked.

Ianto joined her and handed over a mug of coffee. "You sound surprised."

"I am," she answered. "A bit." She looked at him, saw his fingers fidgeting with his mug of tea and his smile getting nervous and tense. She cleared her throat and asked softly, "How did he take it?"

"Calmly," Ianto answered. He turned away and sat on the dark-blue couch, sinking into the plush cushions. "We know where we stand and … that's enough for us."

Martha sipped her coffee, mulling over her next words. "You know what I admire about you guys?"

Ianto looked up at her questioningly.

"Jack is … a force of nature. He's got a temper, sometimes. And from what he told me about you, you are stubborn, determined … passionate." She joined Ianto on the couch, perching on the very edge. She didn't feel comfortable enough in Ianto's presence yet to fully relax. She'd known him for a while now and they'd exchanged some e-mails, but mostly, their connection was through Jack. She tilted her head and continued, "But the both of you, in your relationship and … now, after it ended – you're just so … quiet."

"Quiet?"

"My parents got divorced. There were shouting matches and slamming doors and … scathing remarks ..." She rolled her eyes. "You know."

"I guess," Ianto answered and a fond smile stole his lips for a moment. "We're not quiet. We just prefer to have our shouting matches away from work." His face darkened. "Preferred."

Martha watched sadness flicker across his face. He clearly made an effort to reign it in and Martha wondered if he cried when he was alone. She swallowed a sip of coffee. "I don't get Jack."

Ianto seemed to have no problems following her change of subject. "He has his reasons for deciding against the baby. Yelling at him won't change that, so I don't do it."

"But he loves you."

Ianto stared into his mug for a long time before he answered, "I know." With a sigh, he looked up. "The problem is that he doesn't want to love me."

"Maybe the baby will change that. He can't ignore it. He can't ignore his child."

Ianto set the mug on the coffee table. "He won't have to." He looked at her earnestly and a bit relieved, as if she'd just done him favour by saying that. "Torchwood is dangerous, even just working in the Hub will get me into dangerous situations. It would be irresponsible to ..." He stopped and looked away.

Martha swallowed, understanding where this was leading. "Is it really about the job? Or about Jack?"

"Does it matter?" Ianto asked. "Maybe I need a fresh start after its birth. A new city, new job, new everything."

"What's the plan?" Martha asked. "Retcon?"

"Not exactly," Ianto answered. "The plan's you."

Martha raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Me?"

"I don't want Retcon. I want to know what's out there, what Earth is up against. I don't want to live life in ignorance. Not after what I've seen. So I need a new job that will enable me to still somehow help. Torchwood Two is not an option. Too isolated."

Now she understood why he'd seemed relieved. This was apparently something he'd meant to ask her for a while. "So you want me to check out opportunities at UNIT for you?"

"If you could?" Ianto answered.

Martha was stunned but she couldn't exactly say no, so she nodded. "Alright. I have a friend in HR."

"Thank you." Silence embraced them. Martha watched Ianto rub his tired eyes and then, just when she was about to send him to bed, he said, "Just don't tell Jack. Not yet."


	13. Chapter 13

**6.**

Bristol was a solid one hour drive away from Cardiff – with Jack at the wheel, it only took them about forty minutes. Tosh's detection program led them to Friary, a street bordered by modern office and old industrial red-brick buildings.

A crowd of green, military UNIT vehicles and soldiers in their combat uniforms were already waiting for them in the parking lot of an abandoned factory. The sun was setting, but it was still light enough outside to see the smashed-in windows and the graffiti on the walls of the building.

Jack parked sharply and turned around to Tosh who was fiddling with a bulky gun in the backseat. "Time's running out."

"Almost done," she said, taking a rectangular, black battery from Gwen and slamming it into the gun.

"Are you sure this'll work?" Jack asked when Tosh handed him the gun. It was a sonic gun – or rather, it had been before Tosh had exchanged the battery. Now, it could do something else entirely. She hadn't come out and said it yet but Jack knew how a sonic gun worked and he knew that the battery she'd slammed into it was loaded with a very special kind of electricity. She had come through for him again.

"As sure as I can be considering I just built it on the drive over here."

Curiously, Gwen asked, "What exactly is it?"

They'd already been in the car and half on their way out when Tosh had asked Jack to stop and had run back inside to emerge twenty minutes later with a silver suitcase containing the sonic gun and a box from the archives wherein the rectangular battery had been nestled. Since then, she'd been silent, working quietly at assembling the sonic gun in the suitcase and solving equations on the built-in computers of the car.

"It's an EMP gun," Tosh said.

Jack smiled, looking down at the gun and cocking it. A low humming was heard and he looked up at her. "I could kiss you."

Gwen frowned. "An EMP gun?"

"Electro-magnetic impulse," Tosh answered. "We had the battery for it in the archives but not the gun. I've been thinking about combining it with that sonic gun for a while now since it works quite similarly to the gun the EMP battery normally comes with." She smiled self-consciously. "Or at least what we think it works like. I thought it would help us in taking out dangerous technology." She turned to Jack. "The range is pretty big but it would be more useful the closer you are. I'm not sure if it'll work at all but Golems are machines so it should take them out. You only have one shot, though. Then it'll need recharging."

"Okay," Jack said.

Somebody knocked on the driver's window and Jack opened the door to get out. Cold wind immediately brushed through his hair and the sounds of shouted orders permeated the air. Down the street, the police had cordoned off the area and civilians were watching the proceedings curiously. They weren't close enough to see what was really going on, though.

Jack looked at the UNIT officer standing to attention before him.

"Sir," she said in greeting. She was small but athletic, wearing her blonde hair in a tight knot underneath her red beret. Her blue eyes looked up at Jack with just enough respect to convince him that she was in charge here.

He heard his team slam their doors and come around the SUV to join him. He nodded at the officer, reading her name plate. "Captain Luckett, what can you tell me?" He looked towards the skeleton of the factory. UNIT soldiers were milling about, making sure the area was closed off and training lights on the building now that the sun was setting. A helicopter was circling the air.

"It's inside," Luckett answered. "We managed to get to it before it could get to its victim. He works in one of the office buildings around here and was just on his way to his car when the Golem attacked. He's being questioned by some of our men as we speak."

"_Horizon_?"

"He was part of it," Luckett said with a nod. "One of the best scientists on it, actually."

"I want the report on that interview."

"Yes, sir. I'll inform General Leslie of your request."

"It's not a request," Jack replied. "It's an order. He better deliver that report."

Luckett nodded, more a polite gesture than an affirmative. "I'll make sure he knows, sir."

Jack looked at his team. "Let's go in." He turned to Luckett. "Do you have a team ready?"

"Yes, sir. Waiting to go in under your command."

Jack grinned. "Well, that sure sounds like we're getting along, Captain."

xxx

Martha dropped the file on Ianto's coffee tale and rubbed her forehead in frustration. Peralta's notes were difficult to understand. Martha wasn't stupid but that man was a genius, and half of what he'd deduced from his experiences seemed to be in his head, not written down. She bit her lip. Thing was, she really wanted to be sure that the pregnancy was possible. She wanted to be sure that the nano balls worked, but she couldn't be. Plus, she needed more information about male pregnancy. More than Jack or UNIT were able to give her. She wanted to make this work for Ianto. It would require a small miracle but she was sure that it was possible. She needed more information. As it was, she just happened to know a medical database that covered everything from the common cold to the most advanced medicine. She just had to pull a string to get to it. The problem was figuring out if she should.

Martha stood up and walked to the door leading into Ianto's bedroom. He was sleeping deeply, a book lying next to the bed where it apparently had fallen from his slack fingers. She bit her thumbnail and then made a decision. She closed the bedroom door to avoid disturbing Ianto and went back into the living room. She pulled her mobile from her jeans pocket and scrolled through her contacts, then she cleared her throat and dialled.

After three rings, a male voice said, _"This is not the real thing, just the answering machine. Beep."_

The real beep came and Martha cursed, "You've got to be bloody kidding me, Doctor. I'm lucky the world isn't ending. When did you get an answering machine?" She sighed. "Fine. It's eight pm on February 23 in 2008. Track my mobile phone and come here as soon as possible." As an afterthought she added, "Thanks. Martha." Then she hung up.

She went to the kitchen niche to make herself a tea and maybe a sandwich, but stopped in her tracks when she heard the TARDIS arriving. A breeze accompanied the ship materializing and then, just like that, the blue police phone box was standing dead-center in Ianto's living room, nestled in-between the coffee table and the telly. Martha had one second to wonder if she should look for a therapist for finding this normal, then the door swung open and the Doctor strolled into the room. He looked just like she remembered him and her heart – treacherous – skipped a beat. His warm, brown eyes lit up when he saw her and a wide grin split his friendly face. He opened his arms and Martha gave a very undignified squee when she hugged him. Slender as he was, she could wrap her arms fully around him. The brown pinstripe suit smelled of tea and some kind of spicy herb she'd never been able to identify and a bit dusty – just like she remembered. She leaned back and took a proper look at him, from the top of his mussed brown hair down to his trainers. He hadn't changed one bit. "Doctor."

"Martha," he answered. She chuckled and it felt like back then, when she'd still been his companion and they'd just survived another dangerous situation on their travels through space and time. Her current life, in comparison, was almost boring. But she wouldn't complain. She'd wanted out, unable to face his ignorance concerning her feelings for him any longer. He left her hug and looked around curiously. "So, this is ..." He turned in a circle. "You moved to Cardiff?"

"Not my flat," Martha answered. "I'm visiting Jack."

"So this is Jack's flat?"

"No," somebody said from the door and they turned to Ianto, standing there with crossed arms and in his pyjama bottoms and an old white t-shirt. "It's mine. What's going on here?"


	14. Chapter 14

**7.**

"Oh, how marvellous," the Doctor said and pointed his screwdriver at Ianto, checked the readings and grinned widely. "Brilliant." He bounded over to him and grabbed his hand, shaking it. "Congratulations. Can I see?" He was already eagerly pulling up Ianto's t-shirt. Ianto backed away and the Doctor raised his hands. "Right, sorry. Too fast for the boundaries of personal space in the 21st century." He grinned and reached out a hand again, giving Ianto the choice to shake it. "Hello there, I'm the Doctor."

Ianto took the hand and looked pointedly at the TARDIS. "I figured."

"Can I take a look now?"

Ianto backed away once more and Martha laughed. "Buy him a drink first," she said with a grin. "Doctor, this is Ianto Jones."

Recognition dawned on the Doctor's face. "Jack's Ianto Jones."

Martha looked towards the TARDIS. "Are you travelling alone, Doctor?"

"Dropped Donna off to see her family," he answered. "Though I should go and get her. She's never seen a pregnant man before."

A scowl formed on Ianto's face. "I'm not some tourist attraction." He looked at Martha, obviously put out. "What's he doing here?"

The Doctor took a deep breath, then faltered. "I have no idea." He looked questioningly at Martha as well.

She smiled at the both of them, explaining, "I wanted to have a look at the TARDIS's database – male pregnancy."

"Oh, there's loads about it in the database. So you didn't even call me to see _me_?" He looked a bit miffed.

"Of course," Martha hastened to assure him, "but mainly the database." She was distracted by Ianto stumbling back against the wall, clutching his belly. He let out a groan of pain. Martha hurried over to him. "Oh, dear!" She took Ianto's arm and led him to the couch with the Doctor's help.

The Doctor activated his screwdriver and passed it over Ianto, a focussed frown on his face. "Does he get those often?"

Martha brushed Ianto's hair out of his forehead, feeling clammy skin. He was pale. Worried, she squeezed his hand, knowing there was nothing she could do. "Every once in a while. Jack said they're to be expected."

"Hm," the Doctor replied and reached to pull up Ianto's shirt again, restraining himself at the last moment.

Ianto panted, "It's okay. Just make it stop."

"I don't know if I can," the Doctor replied and pointed his screwdriver towards Ianto's belly. "Alright, Ianto Jones. It's time I make a housecall."

xxx

Tosh had done her homework well. Within minutes, the Torchwood team and a group of UNIT soldiers with Luckett as their leader had surrounded the Golem in one of the smaller rooms of the abandoned building and Jack had shot the EMP gun at it. The Golem had crumbled to the floor. It seemed almost ridiculously easy. Jack and Owen examined the Golem carefully. It really was dead. Jack looked up at Luckett. "Alright, that's sorted. We've got a weapon we can use."

Owen snorted and, with a hint of mockery, added, "All we need now is the guy who uses them and to find the rest of the army. A piece of cake."

Jack raised an eyebrow in his direction.

Owen shrugged. "Just saying."

"At least we can fight them now," Jack repeated. "That's something."

xxx

Martha closed her laptop and looked around the main room of the TARDIS, breathing in slowly. The gentle hum of the ship that never seemed to stop – even when she was standing still – filled the air. She brushed her fingers over all the levers and buttons on the round console used to steer the ship and took one last look around the big room before she tore herself out of her memories and walked down one of the ramps. She left the TARDIS and entered Ianto's living room once again, just in time to hear the Doctor say, "I'm so happy to have met you, Ianto Jones."

Martha frowned, hugging the laptop to her chest. "Are you leaving?"

The Doctor turned around to her and now she could see Ianto resting on the couch, calmer now that the cramp was over. The Doctor shoved his hands in his pockets. "You got what you needed, right?"

"Downloaded it all but I'm sure Jack would like to see you, Doctor," Martha answered.

"Tell him I'll pop in after the little one is born." The Doctor winked at Ianto and Martha was glad to see Ianto smile back. Obviously, the both of them had been able to connect. The Doctor turned back to her. "Places to go, people to meet."

Ianto sat up a bit. "Thank you, Doctor."

The Doctor fixed him with a stern glare. "Just take my advice. Don't do anything too strenuous, get plenty of rest. I can't do anything about the cramps but you don't need to worry. They're not a bad sign." He glanced at Martha. "Whoever that Peralta is, he's done a decent job. There's a procedure in the 24th century that allows men to become pregnant, but it's quite expensive and thus was only used by very few people. I heard that the basis for that technique was found in UNIT's archives, so it's possible that Peralta's studies were the groundwork for it. I prefer the male pregnancies that emerge after some close inter-planetary relationships, though. Much more natural." He smiled. "I think Jack could tell you all about it." He crouched down in front of Ianto, taking both his hands. "Nevertheless, you will give birth to a beautiful, healthy baby, Ianto Jones. You can't tell anyone about your pregnancy, though, since the time line says that Peralta's files have to be found in UNIT's archives."

"I didn't plan on telling anyone."

"Good." The Doctor straightened. "And just like that, history is taking the right course." He went to the TARDIS, hugged Martha, smiled at them and then went inside. The TARDIS took off with the usual gust of wind, leaving Ianto and Martha alone.

Martha looked at Ianto. "So?"

"He's quite something."

"He is, isn't he?"

xxx

It was three in the morning when a soft knock sounded at Ianto's flat door. Martha opened and there was Jack, looking a bit tired but not too unhappy. Wordlessly, he followed her into the living room and waited until Martha had closed the bedroom door. Then she settled back onto the couch where she was burning the midnight oil, reading through the TARDIS's records.

Jack looked at her questioningly.

"He's asleep," she said. "Had two cramps. One still at the Hub, the other back here. But he's okay."

Jack sat down in the armchair next to the couch and sighed deeply. "Good."

Martha decided it was best to get this over with quickly, so she said, "Jack, the Doctor was here."

Jack's eyes widened and he sat up. "What?"

"I called him. He brought me information about male pregnancies and he had a look at Ianto."

Jack shook his head. "Why didn't you-"

"It doesn't matter right now. What matters is that the Doctor said that the pregnancy's absolutely safe. Nothing will happen."

"No pregnancy is 100% safe. There's always a risk."

Martha frowned. "Do you want Ianto to miscarry?"

Jack looked at her like she'd slapped him, then he asked loudly, "What?"

"Sh!" Martha looked at him warningly.

But Jack ignored her. He stood up. "How come everyone is so eager to turn me into the bad guy in this whole thing? Am I that much of a monster?"

"I just want to know where you stand in this whole thing, Jack. This is not about me thinking you're a monster. This is about me thinking of my patient's welfare and in this case, my patient is Ianto."

"Just because we're not together anymore, just because I don't want a family doesn't mean I don't care about him or that I'm actively trying to kill his baby. But if all of you keep having a go at me and are so scared about me turning on him, maybe I should just stay away from him."

Before she knew what she was saying, she answered, "Considering you're about to wake him up when he really needs his rest, maybe you should." Jack stared at her, his lips thinning. Martha crossed her arms, determined not to back down.

"Right," Jack said. "Maybe I should." He turned away and left the flat.


	15. Chapter 15

**8.**

The call from UNIT came in early the next morning: they were allowed access to the _Horizon_ files – the paper ones from the archives, not the digitalized form. Jack spent half an hour being mad about that, then the team came in for work and he decided to take Gwen, as she already knew Leslie. He could have taken Ianto, but Martha's words rang in his ears and, besides, he didn't want Ianto anywhere near a UNIT facility. The UNIT branch in Bristol was just as colourless and cold as the headquarters in London.

General Leslie led Jack and Gwen to what seemed to be a boardroom. A big, oval table with chairs took up the middle of it and a small table in a corner offered tea and instant coffee. No windows. Boxes with files were taking up one wall, all of them bearing yellowed labels identifying them as _Project 32188: Horizon_. Oddly, there were menus from various take-out places in Bristol on the table. Jack had a very bad feeling about this.

As if confirming his fears, Leslie folded his hands on his back and said, "Those files aren't to leave this building."

Jack put his hands on his hips. "So we're stuck here until we've read all of them?"

Leslie nodded. "Essentially." He seemed to interpret Jack and Gwen's raised eyebrows as the reproach they were and tried to appease them. "It took a lot of work to authorize you to even see them." He nodded at the menus. "Whatever you order is on us. If you need something, a soldier will be in front of the door, taking care of you."

"And making sure we're not wandering around, I guess," Jack added with a forced smile. Leslie frowned, displeased. Gwen stepped in. "Thank you, General." She smiled brightly and Leslie nodded at her before he left with a last scathing glare in Jack's direction. "We shouldn't antagonize them," Gwen told Jack.

He crossed his arms. "We have every reason to."

She sighed in annoyance. "Just … leave it, Jack." With that, she sat down at the table and opened the first box. "Focus your energy on helping me."

xxx

The Rift alarm woke Ianto from his nap on the couch. He sat up carefully, bracing one hand against his belly subconsciously, and looked questioningly at Tosh who hurried to her workstation. She dropped into her chair and waited until Owen and Martha had come down from the lab to say, "It's a pretty big spike." Which meant that they all had to go. Martha had volunteered to help out in case something would come through. It was just bad luck that it was really happening. All eyes went to Ianto.

He sighed, getting slightly annoyed. "I'm fine. Just go. I'll keep an eye on the Golem detector." He got up and sat down in Tosh's chair, muttering, "I'm pregnant, not invalid."

Owen nodded and took command. "Alright. Martha, get a gun from the armoury."

She nodded and hurried towards the room nestled into a bay of the main Hub. Tosh put on her jacket and took Martha's from the hook, while Owen put on his and then activated his headset. Ianto switched on his headset as well while Tosh got two others from her desk drawer for herself and Martha. As soon as Martha joined them, they hurried towards the garage, leaving Ianto alone in the Hub. He took a deep breath and relished the quiet for a moment. Nobody there to fuss over him and treat him like he couldn't even walk on his own. If he had five more months of that to look forward to, he would go mad. The only one treating him somewhat normally was Jack and that was kind of ironic.

xxx

Gwen threw another file on the pile they'd made in the middle of the table. "This is useless!" she said. "Every single mention of the device they used to make Rift travel possible for the Golems is blacked out! How are we supposed to work with that?"

"They want to keep their petty little secrets," Jack agreed. "What we do know now, though, is that the project was shut down immediately following Dr. Shaw's death and that there really were only four Golems."

"But why is there a whole army of Golems then?"

"Well, somebody continued experimenting and building the army. The question is who."

"And could they be responsible for those murders?"

"And just how much does UNIT know about this?"

xxx

Leslie shook his head. "We didn't know anything about the experiments being continued after the official ending. We found out through your investigations in the murder cases." Leslie looked angrily at Jack. "You should look into your own organisation before accusing us."

"We don't know if Torchwood One continued the experiments," Jack replied. His wrist strap beeped but he thumbed the message away, far too busy with Leslie. Whatever it was, his team in Cardiff would deal with it. "I wasn't exactly on good terms with them. If they did, there was no paper trail."

Gwen opened one of the files. "Why did you black out these paragraphs? Everything that tells us something about the device that was used to travel through the Rift is unreadable."

"It's top secret."

Jack put his hands on his hips. "I thought we were working together on this and now I realize that you hold back important information even though my team has made more progress in the investigations than UNIT."

Leslie folded his hands behind his back and straightened his shoulders. "With all due respect, for all we know you could have continued these experiments after Torchwood One fell and lost control over them, sending the Golems on a killing spree."

For a moment, it was completely silent. Jack's eyes narrowed, his shoulders tensed. He took a deep breath and managed to stay calm. "I would love to walk out that door now," he said, "and never come back again. You should sort out this mess by yourselves. But unfortunately, Torchwood bears part of the responsibility, so we're staying. We're going to find out who killed those former UNIT and Torchwood employees and why. We're going to stop him. And guess what? We can do so even though you keep interfering every step of the way. What does UNIT have to hide?"

Leslie didn't react, but Jack saw his jaw tighten fractionally.

"You can't stop us from finding out. Somewhere in these files, you forgot to black out something we're not supposed to see and we're going to find it."

Leslie sneered arrogantly. "Well, good luck. You're going to need it."

xxx

Ianto had directed Tosh and the others successfully to the origin of the Rift spike and was now sitting on the couch, waiting for them to tell him what they found. He'd switched off the headset to be able to concentrate on the file on his lap without their constant chatter in the background. It would only take one tap against their comm links to make him part of the conversation again. A cramp was starting to make itself known and Ianto put the file aside, his hands folding on his belly. He gasped when the pain got worse. The longest cramp until now had lasted two excruciating minutes, with the aftershocks taking about three minutes to fully subside. Ianto was hoping they would stop as soon as he was further along. He wasn't sure he could take much more of this. It was one of the most intense pains he'd ever experienced. A vicious stab in his belly robbed his breath and he bit off a pained scream, sinking to the floor and leaning back against the couch to pull his legs up against his chest, as if that would help. It didn't, but it also didn't make it worse.

And then, when the pain reached the point where he kept biting his lip to keep from crying out, his breath coming in gasping pants, two things happened: the phone started to ring and he heard footsteps. The first wasn't alarming, the second certainly was. He was supposed to be alone. He raised his hand to his headset and tried to turn around to the intruder, but pain finally clouded his vision and he felt hands grab his shoulders before he blacked out.

xxx

Owen dropped into the driver's seat of the SUV. "I don't get it," he said with a sigh and looked at Tosh who had taken the passenger seat and was closing the door. "Are you sure?"

"There's nothing there," she answered. "Just chronon particles to indicate that the Rift was open. No object."

From the backseat, Martha asked, "Is that normal?"

Owen shrugged. "Sometimes nothing comes through." He started the car. "All the better since we don't have to deal with any complications."

xxx

Jack hung up the phone. "Nobody's answering," he said, looking up at Gwen.

She shrugged. "Maybe they're out? You said there was a Rift alert or something."

"Yes," he replied, "but at the very least, Ianto should be in." He chewed his bottom lip, getting worried. He'd called the Hub and Ianto's mobile – no answer. He'd tried several times already, giving Ianto time to reach the phone … nothing. A niggling dread began to form in his mind. "Something's wrong," he said and dialled Owen's mobile phone.

"Why are you so jumpy about it?" Gwen asked with a frown. "They're just busy."

Jack shook his head. "Something's wrong. I know it."

xxx

Owen activated his headset to pick up his mobile and then focussed on the traffic again. It was lunch time and apparently, everybody was rushing about for a meal. Owen steered the SUV into a space a bit too small for it, trusting that the intimidating size of the car alone would help him get back to the Hub faster. Somebody honked at him and Owen made a rude gesture, saying into his headset, "Hello?"

"_What's going on?" _Jack snapped.

"We had a Rift alert. Nothing we couldn't handle. Pretty boring actually. Nothing came through. We're on our way back but the traffic is bloody mad." The lights changed to red and Owen cursed.

Tosh gave a long-suffering sigh. "We're in no hurry, you know. Relax."

Owen was distracted by Jack asking, _"Is Ianto with you?"_

"No, he's back at the Hub."

"_He's not answering the landline or his mobile. I tried several times."_

Owen bit his lip, now understanding Jack's annoyed opening line. He was getting a bit worried as well. They'd tried to contact Ianto to let him know that nothing had come through the Rift but he hadn't answered. They'd just assumed that something was wrong with the range of the comm links. He switched on the flashing blue and red lights the SUV was equipped with, forcing the cars before him to part. They did so, reluctantly.

Martha leaned forward. "What's going on?"

Owen ignored her, answering Jack instead, "Okay, I hear you. That's strange."

"_Just get back there! Report to me immediately."_

"Alright."

"_And Owen – I mean **immediately**."_

"I know what to do." Owen rang off and touched his headset. "Ianto, you better answer right now. Your ex is getting nervous … and me, too."

No answer.

Owen frowned. "Ianto?" Further silence made him curse. "Get your guns ready, girls. We seem to have a situation at the Hub." It could of course be a medical situation, Owen knew that. But he could always count on his instincts and they told him that there was more going on than trouble with the pregnancy.


	16. Chapter 16

**9.**

Ianto woke up and, before even thinking about opening his eyes or giving his memory a chance to catch up, he groaned. Aftershocks of pain were travelling through his body and his hand rubbed his belly soothingly.

A man muttered, "I know. I know it hurts."

Ianto opened his eyes, but his surroundings remained blurry at best. The collage of grey and beige colours, interrupted by darker shades and shapes and blinking lights told him that he had to be in the main Hub, though. He could hear the water trickling down the sculpture. The familiar sound was calming, as was the slightly lumpy shape of the couch he was lying on. The clicking of booted feet came closer and ever so slowly, Ianto's memory returned.

Danger!

He blinked several times and bent one leg, trying to sit up and only managing to raise his head to the man standing at the other end of the couch: one hand on the sword belted to his waist, the other propping his body up against the wall casually, showing off a well-toned chest underneath a red vintage military jacket over a shirt in need of a wash. He was wearing a wide grin, his blue eyes twinkling in amusement. "Hi there, Eye Candy."

Captain John Hart had been the bane of Jack's existence while they'd been partners – in _every_ way – back when Jack had still been travelling through space and time on a regular basis for the Time Agency. Ianto had thought that, after their last encounter, John wouldn't dare show his face again. Apparently, he'd been wrong. The problem with John Hart, as Jack had once said to him, wasn't that he was necessarily up to no good. He always did what he thought was right … unfortunately, most of the time what was right for him wasn't right for others. Jack had called him a notorious liar, thief and – when necessary – killer … but had also admitted that there was a part of John that was kind and charming. Since Jack had lived with John for quite some time, Ianto really hoped so … or Jack's taste in bedpartners was seriously warped and what did that mean for Ianto himself?

He tried to sit up again, but a stab in his belly prevented him from moving too fast and John pushed him back onto the couch. "It's alright. Don't move too fast. I'm not here to harm you. Or I would have done so already." He raised his eyebrows. "Of course, not after seeing you like this. I'm always respectful towards pregnant people. Congratulations, Eye Candy."

Before Ianto could answer or react in any way, a new cramp started and Ianto tensed. John watched him for a second and grimaced, then he abruptly climbed onto the couch and straddled Ianto's lap, despite Ianto's attempt to push him off. Ianto slammed both his knees into John's back, but his position was awkward and there was hardly any force behind it. He grabbed John's hands when they reached for his belly. "What are you doing?" he asked, breathing heavily against the pain and against his fear.

"Relieving the pain," John answered. Ianto eyed him mistrustfully but he couldn't resist anymore when the first strong wave of pain hit. John untucked Ianto's shirt and pressed his hand to his belly, his fingers skirting over Ianto's skin as if looking for something, and then his knuckles pressed against Ianto's body. Harder. Hard enough to make the cramp even worse. Ianto cried out and tried to squirm away, but John's legs held him fast. "It hurts," John said with a nod, "For a moment, then it'll stop."

And the pain ebbed away suddenly. Breathing heavily, Ianto stared up at John. "What did you do?"

"Pressure points."

Ianto shifted, bending one leg. John was helping him, no doubt about it, but he wasn't to be trusted. His hand reached for his ankle holster. He masked the motion by shifting again, pulling a face. "Do you mind?"

"If I let go, the pain will start again", John answered.

Ianto reached the small gun and sank back, pretending to relax while he got a good grip on the gun."How did you know-"

"Experience." John smirked, keeping up the pressure, then his eyes widened in surprise when Ianto pressed the gun against his neck. John recovered quickly, though, and he grinned at Ianto. "My, aren't you a clever one. Where did you get that from?"

"Ankle holster."

"Kinky and undeniably sexy. If you only knew how much that turns me on."

"Actually, I can feel it," Ianto answered, glancing towards where John's crotch was pressing against his.

"You want me to let go of you?" John asked and raised his hands. The pain came back immediately and Ianto shook his head with a grunt. John pushed against the pressure points once more, his grin annoyingly smug. "You rather have my hands on you than be in pain. I think we've made progress since our last meeting."

Ianto raised his eyebrows. "Never going to happen."

"We'll see," John replied with a smirk.

A voice from behind them said, "I have no idea what kind of kinky game you two are playing and I don't want to know." Ianto was relieved when he identified the voice as Owen's, then slightly mortified at the position he and John had been found in. Owen continued, "Just tell me if we're interrupting you and we'll get ourselves a coffee."

Ianto rolled his eyes at Owen's words.

By now, John was grinning at them in delight. "Oh, the team." He let go of Ianto once again, slower this time. The cramp was over, though. No pain flooded Ianto's body. Instead he felt just slightly sore like usual when one of the cramps ended. Ianto pushed John away from him quickly and got up to join Tosh, Owen and Martha near the entrance that led to the garage. The three of them had their guns trained on John who was standing next to the couch, his hands on his hips.

"Weapons," Owen said.

"What, don't I get a silver tray this time?"

"Just drop them."

John sighed with a roll of his eyes and started to drop one weapon after another, pulling most of them out of hiding places in his clothes. While doing so, he winked at Tosh. "Nice seeing you again, gorgeous." Ianto noticed Tosh biting her lip, trying to suppress a smile. She'd been a bit smitten by John the last time he'd been here, cementing Ianto's belief that – harmless as she herself was – she definitely liked the dangerous ones. John asked, "Still no boyfriend?"

Tosh shook her head.

Owen glared at her and snapped, "Why are you even reacting?"

Tosh shrugged, focused on John.

"A shame," he said. "Legs like yours need to be worshipped. Not to mention your brea-"

"Alright," Owen interrupted. "Enough of that."

"Jealous?" John asked. "Don't worry, you're still my favourite … well, after Eye Candy and Jack of course." He looked at Martha, letting his sword fall to the floor. "And who is _this_ sight to die for?"

Martha said, "He reminds me of Jack."

Owen replied, "He's his evil twin brother."

Ianto added, "Figuratively speaking. Captain John Hart was his partner while Jack worked for the Time Agency."

Tosh said, "We're not sure if one of them rubbed off on the other or if they've both always been that way."

John raised his hands in surrender after having dropped the last of his guns. "Oh, gorgeous, we did lots of rubbing off, believe me." He looked at Martha again. "You're not blonde, though. I told them they needed someone blonde. No offence, beautiful."

Martha took the cuffs Owen handed her and moved towards John, restraining him expertly with his hands behind his back.

Owen asked, "What do you want here?"

"Just dropping by. And what do I find? Eye Candy all pregnant and even more handsome."

"What do you want?" Owen repeated impatiently.

"I told you, I'm just visiting," John answered. "We hit it off like whoa the last time, so I thought: why not go and meet Team Excalibur again?"

Martha corrected, "Torchwood."

Owen sighed. "Don't get him started."

John shrugged. "I'm harmless. Even helped out Eye Candy."

Everyone looked at Ianto who shrugged. "He kind of did … in a creepy, sexually harassing way."

Silence settled, then Owen took a breath. "Okay, my call for now. Lock him up, Tosh. I'll call Jack."

John grinned. "You're a born leader – in case of doubt, run to daddy."

Owen frowned at him.

xxx

Jack put his head in his hand and groaned. "Are you kidding me?" he asked Owen. "Just what we need."

From the other side of the table, Gwen grinned at him. She was playing with the corner of one of the folders, bending it up and down. It was dog-eared by now. Jack wondered if it was petty to think of it as kind of a revenge for making them stay in this windowless room for hours on end.

The mobile in-between them, on the dark wood of the table, was on speaker and Owen answered, _"I'm not too happy myself, as you can imagine." _

"What does he want?"

"_He says nothing. Just dropping by."_

Tosh said,_"Jack, maybe he really __**is**__ just dropping by. He seemed to be honest."_

"_Are you mad?"_

"_And he helped Ianto."_

"_By practically shagging him?"_ Owen asked.

Jack frowned. "He did _what_?"

Tosh answered, _"He said something about pushing on certain pressure points to lessen the pain the cramps are causing. Ianto said it worked just fine."_

"It does," Jack replied. He knew the technique and cursed himself for not thinking of it sooner. However, it worked best skin-on-skin, which meant that John had had his hands on Ianto's naked belly. Jack pressed his lips together to suppress a growl. It wasn't jealousy that reared its ugly head, just protectiveness of his team. John touching Ianto so intimately seemed wrong. "Put him through a lie detector test. You know the device?"

Owen answered, _"Yeah, we thought about that ourselves, actually. Ianto and Martha are just getting it."_

"No matter what the results, John stays in that cell for the time being."

"_Understood."_

Before Jack could hang up, Gwen asked, "How is Ianto?"

"_Fine. Tired and hungry but that's nothing new." _He hesitated. _"Jack, should I send him home with Martha? With John here, he's the perfect target."_

Jack wanted to tell Owen to get Ianto the hell out of there because John would certainly find a way to use him against the team but he couldn't. All the years and all the lies and fights between him and John, but there were some things they just couldn't lie about. "Ianto's the last person you need to be worried about. As maniac as he is, John won't even consider hurting him because Ianto's pregnant." He looked at Gwen. "There are lines John doesn't cross."

xxx

"You did _what_?" Tosh asked and stared at Martha in disbelief.

"I know," Martha answered and huddled in her chair in the boardroom, stabbing her egg noddles with her chopsticks. She and Tosh had left Owen to deal with Hart and the lie detector. They'd found some left-over take-away from the day before in the fridge and had – Martha's idea – come down here where they would be undisturbed. By now, Martha was feeling bad for snapping at Jack the night before. And she had an inkling that Tosh, being Ianto's best friend, would know if Martha had really acted in Ianto's best interest (she liked to think so) or if she'd just been mad at Jack and lashed out (in which case an apology was due). "I blew up in his face and told him to stay away from Ianto, and knowing Jack, he will do just that … he's childish like that."

Tosh frowned and sat her carton on the huge conference table. "That's got nothing to do with being childish," she answered. "He's insecure. What you said to him must have stung and he probably thinks it's true – that we think he wants the baby dead." She sighed. "Even worse: that Ianto thinks he wants the baby dead."

Martha shook her head. "He'll get over it. He always does. I mean … I've seen him get over worse."

"He shrugs off deaths and pain and torture, but he won't shrug off this. He tries to hold himself to these … stunningly high standards of leadership and friendship and love, but he can't reach them of course. He's only human, has failures like everybody else. The difference is that he doesn't understand that. Living so long, he thinks he should do better. Letting someone down is the worst that he can do. You saw him after Owen got shot." Martha had. And, on second thought, she'd never seen Jack that broken before. Not even after the year that never was, after the torture the Master had put him through … Owen's death had broken him so much that he'd gone out and revived him, trapping Owen in the zombie-like state he was in now. Tosh continued, "You shouldn't have said that to him. With Jack and Ianto … it's best to leave them alone and let them sort it out themselves."

"Well, there won't be much time for that," Martha replied.

Tosh looked at her questioningly.

Martha shrugged. "I told Ianto I'd look into a job at UNIT for him."

Tosh's eyes widened. "You did _what_?"

xxx

Owen stared darkly at John who was leaning back against the bare concrete wall of his cell in the Hub's vaults. He was grinning at Owen through the plexiglass wall. Owen pointed accusingly at the lie detector, an advanced alien device that, at first glance, could have been just as well an optician's equipment. "See that red light. It tells me that you're lying."

John laughed. "Of course I am."

Owen sighed. "Why?"

"Because Jack's not here. And I'm bored." He grinned at Owen. "And it was fun to see you try and be the intimidating boss."

Owen folded down the top of the device carefully and then snapped shut the lid of the case that held the device. "You know what, I've got better things to with my time. You can rot in here."

John rolled his eyes. "Listen, I've really gotta talk to Jack."

"He's not here, so you'll have to talk to me."

"It's private."

Owen snorted incredulously. "Since when do you respect privacy?" John just stared back at him. Owen shook his head. "We don't know when Jack will be back."

John asked, "You can call him right?"

Owen nodded.

"So call him … tell him to get back here." He raised his eyebrows. "Tell him it's about Sophia. He'll know what I mean." The door to the vaults opened and Ianto entered, carrying a pizza box and a bottle of juice. As soon as John saw him, he grinned. "Eye Candy!"

Ianto just opened the hatch to the cell and pushed the pizza box and the juice inside.

John's grin turned even wider. "Wanna stay and chat?"

Owen snorted. "No way in hell."

Ianto answered, "Sure."

Owen's eyes widened in disbelief and he started to protest but a sharp glare from Ianto stopped him. Technically, there was no reason for Owen to object. John was safely locked up and Ianto had his comm link in case of emergencies. Nevertheless, he felt uncomfortable leaving the both of them alone. There just wasn't much he could do about that. Ianto was stubborn at the best of times and the recent days had made him tetchy because everyone kept fussing over him. So Owen nodded grimly and handed Ianto his gun. "Be careful."

With the case in hand, he left the vaults and closed the door. He couldn't help a last look back through the small window of the door. Ianto was pulling over one of the folding chairs they kept down here and sitting. With a sigh, Owen headed back upstairs and decided to keep an eye on them via the CCTV.


	17. Chapter 17

**10.**

Ianto found a comfortable position on the hard chair and looked at John, who was digging into the pizza. John smiled at him. "You didn't stay because you like me."

"No," Ianto replied, "but next to Jack, you are the only person available to me who knows about male pregnancy."

"That I do," John said. "But why don't you just ask your precious boyfriend about it?"

"Because he isn't my boyfriend anymore." Ianto held John's eyes when he looked up in surprise.

John put down the slice of pizza he'd been devouring and stepped closer to the glass. "Does that mean he's actually available again?"

Ianto pulled a face. "Must be good news for you." During his last visit, John had joked and teased but Ianto had seen beneath his casual mask and found somebody still deeply attached to Jack. He wondered if he would end up the same way: always looking for a sign that Jack still wanted him and always failing. One more reason to leave.

John chose to ignore Ianto's last comment, since he just said, "I'm surprised, though. The two of you seemed to work." He narrowed his eyes. "Did he leave you because of the pregnancy?"

"No," Ianto answered, "before we found out about that. And it was more of a … consensual break-up." He shook his head and smiled bitterly. "Why am I even telling you this?"

"Because we're members of the same club now", John answered.

Ianto snorted. "Unlikely." John stared at him until Ianto ducked his head. John's gaze was unsettling and made him nervous. He seemed to be looking for something. But what it was, Ianto wasn't quite sure. "Just tell me everything you know."

"Are you sure ready for this?" John asked. "Male pregnancies are hard. You shouldn't go through it alone."

"I don't have a choice," Ianto replied. "I want this baby."

John smiled, then he cleared his throat. "What you need now is a lot of sleep, quiet and food." He winked. "Pregnant men tend to eat more than pregnant women."

"I've already noticed," Ianto answered. He rubbed his belly.

John's grin turned crooked. "Don't worry, Eye Candy, you're still gorgeous."

Ianto looked up at him with a small smile and then asked the question that had been running around his mind since John had left them the last time. "Who's Gray?"

xxx

Jack and Gwen returned to the Hub exhausted and without new information. Jack sent Owen out to get dinner for everyone and hurried down into the vaults. He hadn't been able to focus on the files anymore after Owen's call and the mention of Sophia's name. He hadn't heard anything about her for over a hundred years, ever since he'd left the Time Agency. Sophia had been Jack's partner before John came along and she'd preferred to work with another colleague – Rick Carson – who she'd fallen in love with. She'd been good, very good, one of the best Time Agents there was.

And then, she and Rick had worked near the Rift on Taonas 5 and she'd been taken away by it. Just like that, she was gone and no one had ever heard of her again.

Then, one day, their wrist straps, programmed to pick up activity from hers, had sounded the alarm. They'd tracked the signal to Earth, 1961, but all they'd found had been an empty field and tyre tracks. They'd tried to locate her wrist strap but it had been switched off. The same thing had happened several times and then … silence. Rick had run himself ragged trying to find her and then thrown himself into work, climbing the ranks faster than anyone else. The Time Agency had been Jack's – and all their – lives, but it had been Rick's destiny. Jack didn't know if Rick had been involved in the decision to take two years of Jack's memory, but he'd left the Time Agency either way, unable to trust them anymore. He still didn't know what had happened in these two years.

Jack opened the door to the level on which John was imprisoned, just to hear John say, "... has been looking for Gray for a long time. Completely broke him."

And just like that, Jack saw red. He slammed the door, seeing Ianto startle violently. With big strides, he was beside him in a manner of seconds. "My office, now," he said, his eyes fixed on John who was looking at him with something akin to fear, saying, "Listen, Jack, I didn't-"

"Shut up!" he snapped and looked down at Ianto who was staring at him with confusion. "My office … _now_."

Ianto didn't protest, apparently seeing that Jack was livid. "Right," he muttered and got up.

Jack waited until he was out of the door before he kicked the chair aside and whirled around to John. "I trusted you!"

John raised his hands. "Jack-"

"I confided in you! And you've got nothing better to do than to gossip about it?"

"I wasn't gossiping!" John yelled.

"Sounded like it!"

"I didn't tell him anything! The only thing I said was that Gray was very important to you, that you've been looking for him for a long time and that you couldn't find him. I told him to ask you about it himself." He hit his palms against the plexiglass. "Damn it, Jack, we agreed! We promised each other. Do you think I'd break that promise?"

With a push of a button on his wrist strap, Jack opened the door. He wrapped his fingers into John's jacket and slammed him against the wall. "You said you found him?"

John stared at him, his fingers curling around Jack's braces. "I lied."

Jack slammed him against the wall again. "_That_ is a lie. I can always tell when you lie."

"Not always."

"Right now, I can."

John released a defeated breath. "I lost him. He … ran away."

Jack shook his head. "I don't believe you."

"You better," John answered calmly. "It's the truth. I would have been back sooner – with him – if I could have been. I'm trying to find him, though. Got people looking for him, a trace … I'm sorry."

Jack took a deep breath, trying to calm down. "Whatever." He let go of John and took a step back, still keeping a cautious eye on him. He shook his head. "How did you get into my base?"

"Right, forgot to mention it before I left ..." John grinned. "I took a retina scan from the pretty brunette. Gwen. Used it to open the garage door."

Jack frowned. "Great. Now we have to change that lock." He sighed deeply. "So … what about Sophia?"

"Didn't you notice?" John asked in confusion. "Her vortex manipulator was active again."

Jack stared at him in disbelief. "But it's been years."

"I know. We followed the trace-"

"We?"

"Rick, Kenya, Lance and I."

"The old clique," Jack said.

"Except for you," John replied somberly, "and Sophia."

Jack didn't react to that. Of course he regretted losing some of his friendships when he left the agency but he didn't regret resigning. "My vortex manipulator was damaged a long time ago," he explained. "I lost Sophia's data. Can't trace her anymore. You're the only one who still shows up."

"Well, we traced her back here to Cardiff, 21st century. But, just as back then, we couldn't find her. Her manipulator was deactivated again to avoid being found."

"Alright," Jack said. "What has that got to do with me?"

"The only thing near the point of origin was your car."

Jack frowned. "The Torchwood SUV?"

"On a parking lot for a store called IKEA."

Jack's eyes widened. "Impossible."

"No, I saw it with my own eyes. Of course, I didn't tip the others off-"

"No, I mean … I might actually know what happened to Sophia." With that Jack turned away, closed the cell and ran up towards the main Hub.

The last thing he heard from John was him calling, "Hey! The least you could do is let me out!"

Then the heavy door to the cells slammed shut. Jack sprinted down the corridor and up the steps, piecing the new information together with what they already knew. The Golems were sent to the future to scavenge technology, sent with a device they hadn't been able to identify because UNIT was making a secret out of it. It had to be Sophia's vortex manipulator.

He stormed into the main Hub, causing his team to turn to him in surprise. He zeroed in on Tosh. "Forget about hacking into the _Horizon_ files. Sophia Foster will be your priority for now. I want every file her name gets mentioned in."

"If she was part of _Horizon_, I won't be able to find her."

"You will," Jack answered, "because she wasn't part of _Horizon_, she was a prisoner. Maybe UNIT, but I think it was Torchwood, so look through our database as well."

Gwen frowned. "Who was she?"

"A Time Agent," Jack answered. "A female Time Agent. And _Horizon_ might have used her vortex manipulator to send the Golems through time."


	18. Chapter 18

**11.**

When Jack stepped into his office, Ianto was sitting in a chair in front of his desk, waiting. Jack ignored the curious eyes of the team and closed the door. He saw Ianto tense up slightly, maybe expecting a shouting match, but Jack had no intention of shouting. He walked around the desk slowly. "You had no right to ask John anything about my past," he said. He sat in his chair and stared at Ianto.

Ianto ducked his head. "You're right," he replied. "You're right, I didn't." He sighed. "I'm sorry." He looked up at Jack. "I just … wanted to know, I guess. I didn't think I could ask you about it."

"You can always ask … I just might decide not to answer." He stared at Ianto, the way he hunched his shoulders and kept one hand on his belly. He seemed tired and drawn. "Go and lie down," Jack suggested.

"I'd rather keep busy," Ianto replied.

"You look exhausted. You really should-"

"Don't!" Ianto interrupted him. "Don't do what the others do. I'm capable of taking care of myself."

"I know you are," Jack answered. "I just don't want you to … you shouldn't ..." He stopped, frustrated.

Ianto looked at him questioningly.

"You shouldn't risk yours or the baby's health," Jack explained. "I … I care, you know."

"I know. Of course you do. I was just … you're the only one who treats me normally and not like I have … to be mothered all the time." He looked up at Jack and his eyes were sincere. "Thank you." He sighed. "I think I should inform you that I'm looking for a job at UNIT. I'm thinking about leaving after the baby's born."

"Leaving Torchwood?" Jack asked.

Ianto nodded. "Leaving Torchwood."

"You don't have to-"

"I have to," Ianto interrupted him. "It's good. It's for the best." He smiled weakly. "The life I'm leading now isn't good for a baby. It's not … stable."

Jack stared at him, not quite knowing what to stay to stop him. Not quite knowing if he had a right to. Ianto looked at him as if he expected Jack to say no, to put up a fight. Jack couldn't say if Ianto wanted him to. "I'm sorry to hear that," he finally said. "Can I do anything to make you change your mind?"

Ianto shook his head. "I don't think so."

Jack swallowed his hurt. "Fine. Then I advise you to go and lie down. And if you don't want to do that, go and set John up in one of the guest quarters."

Ianto raised his eyebrows in surprise. "The guest quarters, sir?"

"Yes. And take him with you into the archives. Find a paper trail for a Torchwood prisoner named Sophia Foster. Possibly you won't find a thing. Tosh is looking for her in the digitalized files but ..."

"Over half of the archives still aren't digitalized," Ianto answered. "I guess she was a Torchwood One prisoner?"

"Late 50s or early 60s."

"We've got copies of those early records here. I'll find them."

"Get John to help you out. Lifting boxes, that kind of help."

"Will he cooperate?"

"It's about Sophia," Jack answered. "He will."

There was a knock at the door and then Tosh entered. "We've got a Golem."

Alarmed, Jack asked, "Where?"

"Cardiff. Should I call UNIT?"

"No. Don't call UNIT. I don't want them there." He got up and hastily put on his coat, checking that he had his Webley clipped to his belt. "Tosh, you stay here with Ianto. Coordinate and see to it that UNIT stays off our backs. We don't know if they have their detection program for Golems working. I'm taking Owen, Gwen and Martha."

He looked back at Ianto. "Take a taser. If John causes trouble, don't hesitate."

Ianto smirked. "I wouldn't dream of hesitating, sir."

xxx

The archives, as John found, where bigger than he'd thought they would be. They stretched over several levels in the Hub's basement and consisted of row after row of shelves and filing cabinets stacked with information and objects. The main room, as Ianto had called it, was huge, lit by bright lamps, and the stale air smelt slightly mossy. Ianto had led him down a few rows of shelves and they were now going through several boxes from the 50s and 60s, looking for any sign of Sophia. John raised his eyes from a file on a prisoner Torchwood had dubbed _Unidentified Female_ and saw Ianto stretch to reach one of the shelves higher up, nudging a heavy-looking box toward the edge.

"Wait," John said and hurried to stand up and gently push him aside.

"I'm perfectly capable of-"

"I know you are," John answered. "Just let me help you out." He set the box down. "There."

Ianto sat down on the cold floor and muttered, "Thanks." He leaned his back against the shelf behind him and opened the box. "So, Sophia, was she … a lover?"

"A friend," John answered. "Even though, let me tell you, I wouldn't have said no if she had been interested."

"Was she interested in Jack?"

"No. Just Rick. Always Rick. It was almost a bit annoying," John answered. "But she was a great woman. A wonderful friend. We were all quite shocked when she disappeared."

"I can imagine," Ianto replied. "It must have been hard, never knowing what had happened."

"It was."

For a while, they worked quietly. John kept watching Ianto, though. In the uncompromising light of the archives, he seemed pale and the dark circles underneath his eyes stood out more. But he was gorgeous, handsome in a boyish way, with soft features and clear blue eyes. John had liked him from the moment he'd first set eyes on him. He'd felt that there was something between Ianto and Jack and he hadn't been surprised. Jack liked his lovers young and handsome. He also liked them independent, witty and strong – be it emotionally or physically – which told John a lot about Ianto.

Who was looking up at him right now, knotting his eyebrows in confusion. "What?"

John shrugged. "Nothing." He focused on the file again.

It was quiet for a moment, then Ianto cleared his throat. "Is there any way I can do that pressure point massage myself?"

John shook his head. "It's really a two-person thing. Being in pain and coming from a weird angle, you can't get the amount of pressure right." Ianto sighed in disappointment and John looked up at him again. "I know it's hard."

"Have you ever been pregnant?"

"No," John answered, hesitated for a moment, then he added, "But my male lover was pregnant."

"Ah," Ianto said. "That's where you have the hands-on experience from."

John chuckled. "Yeah."

"So … there's a mini-John running around somewhere?"

"No," John answered and looked at Ianto, letting him see the pain of losing Terry and their baby to an awful accident while he'd been away for the Time Agency. He hadn't thought of Terry for a while, hadn't allowed himself to. His death had been followed by several therapies – alcohol, drugs, gambling … he'd joked once to Jack that murder had been part of his therapy repertoire as well, but that wasn't true. He'd almost killed for the pure joy of it, though. Come close to it. It had been Jack who'd pulled him back from the brink then, who'd been everything John had needed. In the process he'd become John's second big love over the years. And he'd thought that Jack had been in love with him too. He knew their relationship had been fucked up from the start, never quite leaving the angry sex stage but the emotions had been real, the playful banter and perfect partnership. That was why Jack leaving the Time Agency – leaving John – had hurt so much. Enough for John to feel like a joke when he found Jack again and realized that he'd apparently been nothing but a shag to him. He still had nightmares about the moment he'd pushed Jack from the roof in a fit of uncontrolled anger and jealousy. And the fact that he'd survived – fooled John again – had made him so furious he'd tossed out the information about Gray. Jack's brother had been in a hospital at that time. When John had returned, he was gone, so he'd started the search, so far coming up empty.

Looking at Ianto, seeing the way he unconsciously held himself differently, seeing him pregnant, did things to John. He almost felt like he could become the man he'd been for Terry again. Someone who enjoyed life – really enjoyed it, not just put up a front – and who had someone to protect and be protected by. Someone who wanted a home, a steady life, who wanted to put a stop to all the therapy sessions that ended with him using and abusing again just to dull the pain of the ultimate loss. Ianto reminded him of Terry even though he looked nothing like him and he reminded John of what he'd convinced himself he didn't want anymore.

Ianto gave him a sad smile. "That must have been hard. I'm sorry."

"It's the worst thing that ever happened to me."

"I can imagine." And he could understand. John could see that Ianto understood that kind of loss. The loss of a soulmate, of a life ...

They didn't talk after that and by the time John had read three more files, Ianto had fallen asleep leaning against the shelf.

xxx

Jack found the Golem in a dingy flat in Ninian Park, bent over its newest victim. Amidst the cheap furniture and the water stains on the wall, the Golem seemed like a surreal, gleaming being from a nightmare. Jack looked down at the body and grimaced. It was obvious that he was too late. Before the robot could turn fully around to focus on him, Jack was running towards it and slammed into its body. The Golem swayed, but stayed on its feet. Jack managed to plant the tracker beacon he was carrying on the Golem's neck before he was flung away and landed in a corner of the room. He moaned and put a hand on the back of his head. It came away with blood. "Just great," he muttered. "Concussion." The Golem turned to Jack and raised its weapon hand. "Oh," Jack said. "This is getting old really fast."

He didn't even feel the shot that killed him.


	19. Chapter 19

**12.**

Ianto jerked awake when pain ripped through his belly. He gasped and opened his eyes, just to find John bent over him, applying pressure. The pain intensified for a second and Ianto grasped John's wrist with one hand, instinctively trying to pull him away, but then the pain lessened and he groaned in relief. "I fell asleep," he realized, looking around him and realizing that they were still in the archives, files and boxes scattered around them.

John smiled. "You even snored." Ianto was acutely aware of how close John was to him, straddling his legs with his hands on Ianto's skin. He smelled of tobacco and gunoil and it was strange how good that combination could be. John looked down at his hands. "I should stay for a while," he said. "Just to help you out with this."

Ianto wanted to make a sarcastic reply, but nothing came to mind. He didn't answer. Instead, he loosened his hold on John's wrist.

"Do you want it to be a boy or a girl?" John asked.

Ianto laughed, not having expected the question. He gave it a thought, though. "A boy," he answered finally. "Wouldn't mind a girl of course."

"Girls are wonderful," John replied. "I always wanted a girl."

Ianto shook his head with a smile.

John frowned. "What?"

"This is strange," Ianto answered. "Talking about babies with you … I'm actually starting to like you."

"Oh, Ianto, you liked me all along." John grinned. "You were just resisting temptation."

"Temptation," Ianto snorted. "Sure."

The pressure from John's knuckles lessened and they skirted over Ianto's belly slowly, around to his back, making him shiver. "Temptation," John whispered. He leaned closer, his hands splaying on Ianto's back, one slipping down to trace the seam of his trousers. Ianto stared into John's eyes. "You're resisting it right now," John said.

Ianto wanted to answer, but John cut him off with a gentle kiss. Ianto startled but he didn't push John away. He let him linger and even opened his mouth when John questioningly pushed his tongue against his lips. The kiss was lazy but passionate. Ianto's hands grabbed the lapels of John's jacket, pulling him closer. He didn't take the time to think about what he was actually doing, because it felt good, it felt like heaven and it felt totally different from Jack – which was more than good.

John's hands left Ianto's back to frame his face and he gentled the kiss, pecking Ianto's lips to end it. "You are gorgeous," he whispered. "You have no idea, Ianto."

Ianto closed his eyes. "This is weird."

"Good weird? Or bad weird?"

"Surprisingly good," Ianto answered and opened his eyes again. "I just … never expected ..."

The beeping of John's wriststrap interrupted him. John sighed deeply. "Wonderful timing." He flapped it open and checked it. "Hm," he made. He closed the flap and looked at Ianto again. "Looks like I'll have to leave. Soon even, gotta talk to Jack before I do, but … I got a message from a friend and I'll have to go … you could come with me."

Ianto snorted. "What for?"

"To see where this leads."

Ianto shook his head in disbelief. "Just like that?"

John rolled his eyes. "I know. I've always been kinda impulsive."

"You're completely mad. Why would I leave my home world behind to go on some con tour with you?"

"You would leave here because there's no one waiting for you and I'm not on a con tour. Not in company with a pregnant man."

Ianto frowned and softened his voice, trying to make his next question not as hard as it was, "Is this about your dead lover? I can't be him."

"Nobody's asking you to," John answered. "It's just … Ianto, I like you, you like me. You kissed me back a minute ago if I recall correctly. Have you never just … tried something because it feels like it could work out?"

"I can't leave Earth behind. I have a family here and I've got friends here."

John closed his eyes in disappointment.

Ianto swallowed. "Your offer is really tempting and generous – considering you made it on a whim. And I'm tempted … but I can't. I'm sorry."

xxx

Owen leaned forwards in the passenger seat to look at the abandoned house at the end of a run-down street in Penarth. "I can't believe this worked."

Jack groaned and rubbed his neck. Everything was still aching from his death. "I told you it would work. Go in, plant a tracker, follow the Golem wherever it goes."

"Or is transported to," Gwen added and nodded at the white van that was parked in front of the house. Jack looked around. This was certainly a neighbourhood where nobody cared what the others did. The houses weren't that old, but needed a paint job. Yes, this was the perfect neighbourhood to blend in. Jack imagined that the Golem could leave the van at night without being seen.

Tosh's voice came down the line into their comm links. _"The house has been abandoned for four years now."_

Gwen shook her head in disbelief. "Doesn't anybody here care that someone's living in it illegally?"

"_He could have told them that he bought the house. Why wouldn't they believe him?"_ Tosh asked.

Martha readied her EMP gun. "We won't find the whole army of Golems in there. The basement can't be that big … the whole house wouldn't be enough to hold them if there really are over a thousand of them."

"_My calculations might have been slightly off,"_ Tosh admitted.

Owen sounded hopeful, "So, it's not thousands of them? Just … four?"

"_About one hundred,"_ Tosh answered.

Martha shook her head. "I still don't think they're in there."

Jack replied, "No, but if that's the base of operations, we might find a hint as to where they are." He opened the door and got out of the car. Rain sprayed into his face, chased by gentle gusts of wind. It was a wet night in Cardiff and Jack turned up the collar of his coat while he strode towards the house, his own EMP gun at the ready. Tosh had manufactured four of them and they were still the only thing – as far as they knew – that could kill a Golem immediately. Even though Jack didn't expect an army of Golems, he thought that at least a few would be in the house. And if not … well, he would rather be safe than sorry. The others followed him towards the house, their trainers and boots loud on the wet tarmac of the quiet street.

The front door didn't hold them up for long. Carefully, Owen picked the lock and they entered quietly. It was almost dark inside – only the streetlamps providing meager light – but they didn't dare use their torches. The house was sparsely furnished, providing only what was necessary. There were no books, no music, no DVDs, no personal items. Jack wondered if they were wrong and there was nobody here after all. They split up, searching the ground floor and then meeting up again in the hallway. Jack sent Owen and Martha upstairs while he and Gwen went down into the basement. Pressed against the wall, he headed down the stairs first and stopped when he saw light from underneath the door at the bottom. He activated his headset. "Owen, Martha, basement."

Gwen came around him and put one hand on the door handle. Jack again made sure that his EMP gun was ready before nodding at her. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, then she yanked open the door and Jack entered. What he saw made his steps falter for just a second.

The room was a mess of computers and blinking lights. The screens were standing on old desks, hanging from the ceiling, screwed to the bare concrete walls. One wall was patchworked with what looked like cover pages for Torchwood and UNIT personnel files. Several of them were marked with red ink – the victims, possibly. The Golem stood in one corner, not moving, and a man was standing in front of it, passing a scanner over its body. Jack didn't hesitate. He shot the Golem with his EMP gun and it jerked, before falling to the floor. The man whirled around to them, letting go of the scanner and pointing a gun at them. Jack exchanged his EMP gun for his Webley. "Torchwood!" he said. "Drop it." Gwen was next to him in an instant and Jack felt vulnerable and a bit scared. He didn't mind so much to taking a bullet, but Gwen wouldn't get up again if she died. So his voice was coloured by a slight hysteria when he repeated, "Drop the gun!" He heard somebody stomp down the stairs, but he didn't turn around.

The man was in his late 40s, tall and wiry. His grey hair was thinning on the top and his face looked haunted and pale – even in comparison to his white lab coat. He seemed to realize that he was outnumbered and made a decision. He pointed the gun at his own head. "You will never find the other Golems without me," he said. "One step closer and I will kill myself. I programmed the whole army to go out and kill whoever they encounter when I die."

That would mean that the transmitter relaying messages to the Golems must be somewhere on the man's body to monitor his heartbeat. And if they found it, they would be able to find the army.

Jack narrowed his eyes. "You would kill innocent people?"

Owen stepped up next to him. Secure in the knowledge that the man was held at gunpoint by his teammates, Jack glanced around for Martha, but she was nowhere to be seen.

The man's wild, dark eyes glowered with fury. "Who cares?" He laughed. "It'll be over soon anyway. Not long until my army's ready and then I'll clean this world." His face crumbled. "Because no one realizes … no one realizes what's out there! Darkness."

Owen took a step forward. "Right. Someone obviously forgot to take his meds. Who the hell are you?"

The man grinned. "Gerald Shaw."

Gwen looked at Jack. "The head scientist responsible for _Horizon_."

Owen asked, "The one who died in the explosion?"

Gerald yelled, "I didn't die!"

Jack raised one hand, trying to calm him down with the gesture. "We can see that." He knew that a distraction was what they needed and he had a few questions. "What happened?"

"There was an explosion," Gerald said. "Those stupid idiots playing around with the vortex manipulator. The Rift opened and I was sucked in."

"Where did you land?" Jack asked, seeing a shadow crouch by the basement window. Martha, no doubt about it.

His headset activated and Tosh's voice came through, breathless. _"Jack, I'm on my way. In case he shoots himself, you need someone there to decrypt the transmitter and find the army before they do any harm."_

He sent a silent _"thank you"_ down the line.

"I don't know where I landed," Gerald said. "They never let me out. There was just a small window and I saw … Zeppelins. They …" He sobbed. "They experimented on me. To conquer the human race."

The window cracked open. Jack saw Martha peeking inside. "Who?" he asked.

"But I escaped," Gerald said as if Jack hadn't even spoken. "When they opened the window to Torchwood One, I escaped."

A lump of dread formed in Jack's stomach. "You were a prisoner of the Cybermen? But they came from a parallel world." The Doctor had told Jack all about the battle as he'd seen it. Jack would have never thought that a vortex manipulator could transport one into a parallel universe, but apparently, handled precisely the wrong way, it could do just about anything. "You came back during the battle of Canary Wharf?"

"A glorious battle," Gerald said with a smile. Then his face darkened. "Torchwood never even thought about rescuing me! They were shocked to even see me! I told them how I came back and they tried to kill me!"

Martha squeezed her body through the window and managed to land on the floor soundlessly. She carefully approached Gerald from behind.

"I used the confusion," Gerald said. "I escaped to where we stashed the Golems back then, I needed to see them, to … I got them out, got the vortex manipulator and the transmitter and the files and I constructed more of them." His eyes were glittering with pride. "I have 105 now and I won't give up yet."

"And you decided to use them to take revenge," Jack said. "Because nobody came for you? Are you aware that they thought you were dead? And even if they had known that you had been sucked through the Rift to a parallel world … they wouldn't have been able to follow you."

"I don't care!" Gerald screamed. "The human race isn't worth anything. They are an epidemic that needs to be deleted!" He grinned manically. "Look at the Golems. Beautiful, graceful beings. Not hindered by any feelings or emotions. Nothing makes them weak or fragile like human scum. Everybody should know them and fear them … I'm only getting rid of those who never had any respect for their beauty. To them, they were just an experiment."

"My God," Jack whispered.

"I'm just starting," Gerald said. "My army will delete everyone who doesn't respect them."

Jack saw his finger tighten on the trigger. "Martha!"

She jumped and grabbed his arm. A shot rang out and Martha and Gerald fell to the ground. He screamed but there was no blood. Martha took his gun and Jack pushed Gerald to the ground with one knee pressed into his stomach. Owen and Gwen took over holding Gerald down while Jack ripped open his shirt and found the transmitter. It was embedded under Gerald's skin, forming a small, round bump near his heart.

Gwen whispered, "Oh God."

Gerald continued screaming and writhing, but they managed to keep a hold of him. All of a sudden, Tosh was there, kneeling next to Jack and scanning the transmitter. "It's relaying a message. A steady stream of information." She was breathless and her cheeks slightly flushed, but she was focussed on her work.

Jack nodded. "Yes, his vital signs. If they stop, the army will activate and kill."

Martha said, "That means we can't remove the device."

Owen cursed. "We can't kill him."

Tosh shook her head hurriedly. "But I can hack the signal. I did for my detection program." She opened her laptop and typed away on it.

"Jack," Gwen said and he looked at her. She nodded down at Gerald's wrist.

The shirt had ridden up and now he could see a wristband on his arm. "The vortex manipulator," he said and took the device off Gerald. He stared at the dark leather band sadly. It was Sophia's. Her initials were carved into the underside. "It's inactive and it better stay that way." Carefully, he put it into his coat pocket.

Tosh said, "Jack, I'm in."

Gerald chose that moment to strike. He pushed Gwen back, enough to send her off-balance and grabbed Owen's gun. Before any of them could do anything, he'd shot himself.

"Tosh," Jack said.

"I'm transmitting a loop. It repeats his heartbeat. We're safe."

Jack got up and turned away, closing his eyes. "Poor guy."

Owen cleared his throat. "He was totally bonkers."

"Insane," Jack nodded. He stared at the papers stuck to the wall. The research team responsible for _Horizon_. There they were, UNIT personnel and Torchwood personnel as well as the new identities the retconned people had been left with. That information hadn't been added into the personnel files since the late 70s for safety purposes – older files had been updated and the information deleted. He took a closer look at where the files came from and saw that they'd been stored in a Torchwood warehouse. Quite possibly with the Golems – where Shaw had found them. Apparently, while the Torchwood One personnel files had been altered, these files packed away with the Golems had been overlooked. Jack sighed. "He was talking like a Cyberman. Delete ..."

Gwen's voice was hoarse as if she was trying to keep from crying. "All that time in their hands … he took on their personality."

"A human Cyberman," Jack said.


	20. Chapter 20

**13.**

The back room of the tourist office was tiny and pretty much filled up with a desk with a computer on it, a small kitchen niche and two filing cabinets. Ianto usually used the computer in the tourist office itself to work, but this time, he felt awkwardly exposed out there, even though it was the middle of the night and nobody would come in. The door was locked as well, everything was secure, nevertheless … Ianto wondered how long he would be able to walk among people without being noticed. He felt self-conscious already and there was barely anything to see. He grimaced and sat up straighter in the chair, opening the button of his trousers. He breathed a sigh of relief.

John's voice startled him when he said, "I've got something for you." Ianto blushed, wondering if John had seen him open his trousers and turned to look towards the door leading from the tourist office to the back room. Right, he'd almost forgotten that John had come up here with him and gone to take a look around the various brochures stacked in the shelves. John sauntered into the room, holding something behind his back. "A present."

Ianto turned his chair to face John. "I barely dare to guess."

John smiled. He leaned against the desk and sat a red plush dragon on Ianto's keyboard. "It's for the baby," John said.

Ianto fingered the dragon's soft fur. "That's really thoughtful." He smiled up at John. "Considering you took this from the display in my tourist office."

"Hey, I'm not allowed outside," John said and raised his hands. Then he sighed. "I'm gonna leave as soon as I've said goodbye to Jack."

"I'm still surprised you didn't stab us in the back."

"I'm hurt," John said. "I'm not that bad a guy." He grinned. "You should know that by now."

Ianto rolled his eyes. "I'm still not coming with you."

John sighed and then he pulled a thick, red chip the size of a two pound coin from his jacket. "I know. That's why I'm giving you this." He took Ianto's hand and placed the chip in his palm.

Looking closer at it, Ianto could see that there was a button embedded into the chip. "What's that?"

"It's an emergency beacon. I can trace it with my wristband. If you ever change your mind about coming with me, you push this button." He pointed at it. "I'll come as soon as possible."

"I don't think that will happen," Ianto answered. He pocketed the beacon. "I appreciate the gesture, though."

John grinned and said softly: "It's not only in case you change your mind. If anything happens, I'll come to help you out."

Ianto smiled up at him. "Alright. Thank you."

"Am I interrupting something?" someone asked and they turned to see Jack in the door, his arms crossed and his face set into a frown.

"Not really," John answered and leaned back against the desk, his arms crossed. "I was just saying goodbye to Eye Candy and the little one."

Jack's forehead smoothed. "You're leaving?"

"You don't need to sound so relieved. Yeah." John walked past him into the tourist office and one moment later, Ianto heard the key to the door leading outside being turned and the door being opened. Then he called, "A word, Jack?"

"Sure," Jack answered and followed him. The door fell shut.

Ianto sighed. When he looked back towards the door leading down to the garage, he saw Martha lingering there. He smiled, a bit bashfully, and got up carefully. "Could they make it more obvious what they're going to talk about?"

Martha shrugged. "Did everything go well with John?"

Ianto nodded. "Surprisingly well. He behaved."

"He likes you," Martha replied. "It's obvious. I mean, he flirts, but it's … like with Jack, you know. I could tell that Jack's flirting with you went deeper. It's the same with him."

Ianto shook his head and brushed past Martha into the dimly corridor. He looked towards the garage, but then walked into the opposite direction, down to the main Hub. He chose to take the stairs – he really didn't feel like being trapped in the lift with the uncomfortable topic hanging between him and Martha. The steep steps made him pause for a moment but then he gripped the railing and descended them.

"What's the deal with the two of you?" Martha asked.

Damn. Ianto sighed. "Do you have to ask?"

"Yes."

Ianto paused and turned around to her.

"What?" she asked. "I'm curious."

"You're Jack's best friend."

"And you're separated. I won't push you down the stairs when you tell me that you and John … dabble."

"We don't."

"Good to know."

He continued descending the stairs. Martha stayed behind him. Her sudden "Are you alright?" startled him.

He stopped and turned to her again. "Yes, it's just ..." He ducked his head, swallowed and then explained, "He was the first one who was really happy for me or told me so at least." He sought Martha's dark eyes in the dim corridor. "And he's completely crazy, so ..." He sighed. "Am I doing the right thing?"

Martha came down another few steps to stand on the same level he did and took his shoulders. "Ianto, you're having a baby and that's completely and utterly crazy … and wonderful. I'm happy for you." She grinned. Ianto smiled back at her, but it didn't feel quite right, as if he was wearing a mask. Martha frowned and shook her head. "It's not about anyone telling you that they're happy, right? You want Jack to be happy about it."

Ianto ducked his head, feeling caught out.

Martha squeezed his shoulders. "It'll break his heart if you leave."

Ianto avoided her eyes. "It'll break my heart if I stay."

Martha sighed and rolled her eyes. "I thought that the Doctor was the most stupid guy in the whole of the universe where feelings are concerned. He's starting to look like the perfect, emotionally stable guy in comparison to the two of you. You love each other. You're having a baby. But Jack's too much of coward to stay with you and you're too much of a coward to fight for him – you just turn around and run away. Love is all about taking risks. I can't believe that two men as brave as you can't take them." She turned to go downstairs and the last Ianto heard from her was, "Jesus! Bloody men!" Then the slam of the door leading into the Hub.

He sighed deeply and followed her slowly. What Martha had said made sense. Of course it did. But it was easier said than done. Tiredly, he paused and rubbed his eyes. He couldn't think about that now. He should just go and lie down in one of the guest quarters.

When he entered the main Hub, he saw Martha, Owen and Gwen surrounding Tosh's desk.

Gwen asked nervously, "Is it switched off now?"

"I think so," Tosh answered.

Owen crossed his arms. "You think. You better be sure."

Ianto asked, "What's going on?"

They turned to him and Martha said, "We found the vortex manipulator of that missing Time Agent. Tosh switched it on accidentally."

Owen added, "Jack said not to switch it on under any circumstances."

"It's off now," Tosh snapped. "Calm down."

Ianto approached the desk and looked down at the manipulator. Gwen asked, "What did you find out about her?"

Ianto sighed. "We found records about a prisoner called Sophia Foster. She was found in 1957 unconscious near Cardiff. Torchwood Three found her and she was transferred to Torchwood One immediately."

"What about Jack?" Gwen asked. "Didn't he know?"

"He wasn't with Torchwood then," Ianto answered. "His personnel file shows a gap in the years 1955 to 1958. He worked as an insurance agent during that time."

Owen rolled his eyes. "Seriously?"

Ianto shrugged. "I find that more believable than his story about owning a bar on a beach for a few years." He sighed. "Sophia claimed to be a Time Agent. They took her equipment and experimented on it. She died in 1984 following an attempt to break out."

Gwen bit her lip. "How sad."

"Well, at least they know now what happened."

xxx

As soon as the door to the tourist office closed behind Jack, cutting them off from Ianto, John said, "I asked Ianto to come with me." The words cut through the clear, chilly night air, a contrast to the sea water lapping at the quayside.

Jack stared at him incredulously, sudden anger tightening his chest. "You what?" Thoughts began to whirl around his head: Ianto going to UNIT – he would probably be able to handle that, knowing that Ianto would still be there, somehow. But if he went with John … through time and space ...

John turned to the side, hiding half of his face in shadows, the other half barely visible in the dim light the bulb outside the tourist office provided. "It's not as if you're still an item and he's a free man. He can do whatever he likes. And considering that you treat him as if the pregnancy is his fault-"

"I know damn well that it's not his fault! I don't blame him!"

"No, you blame the fucking world!" John snapped, turning back around to him, his hands on his hips. "Because heaven forbid that you have to commit to something after it went wrong a few times." He snorted. "You're such a coward."

"You have no idea what it feels like," Jack answered angrily. "Losing them time and time again."

"Don't you dare," John hissed. "Don't you dare go and tell me that I have no idea! I may have lost only one family, but it was enough." He closed his eyes. "And I asked Ianto to come with me because I saw a chance for me to start something new. I saw something wonderful you rejected and I thought I should give it a try." He turned away. "He said no, by the way." He shook his head. "He still loves you. I can't believe you would just let it go to waste."

"I love him," Jack said softly.

John turned around to him. "Then what's your problem? There was nothing I could do to save Terry and our child, but if there would have been even the slightest chance, I would've taken it. Maybe things will get ugly later, but don't you think that you will regret that you never even tried?" He stepped closer to Jack and cupped his cheek. "My Jack took apart the universe to find his brother, even though everybody told him that there was no way he would succeed. My Jack never gave up." He kissed him tenderly and then shoved his hands in his pockets and started towards Roald Dahl Plass.

xxx

The soft knock on the door to the guest quarters woke Ianto from a light sleep. He sighed and switched on the bedside lamp. He pulled the blanket higher to cover up his naked chest, then he said, "Yes." He'd expected Tosh, maybe Martha or Owen, even Gwen, but not Jack. He rubbed his eyes to wake up fully and sat up a bit. "Hi."

"Hi," Jack answered. He entered and closed the door, slowly, as if he wasn't sure he should be here. His eyes were worried. "Are you okay?"

"Just a bit tired," Ianto answered.

Jack nodded in understanding and sat on the edge of the bed. "John left."

"He mentioned he would."

"I'm glad you didn't go with him."

Ianto took a deep breath and stared into Jack's eyes earnestly. "Are you?"

"Of course." Jack's eyes wandered away from Ianto's and down to his belly, hidden underneath the bunched-up blanket. Ianto wondered if he should offer to let him touch it. Jack interrupted the thought by starting, "I ..." His voice failed him. He sighed and looked up again, into Ianto's eyes. "I've been thinking," he spoke slowly. "How about … dinner, sometime? A movie, maybe?"

Ianto's eyes widened and his heart skipped a beat. "Are you asking me-"

"Yes," Jack interrupted him. He seemed just as insecure as that first time he'd asked for a date. "What do you say?"

"I say, why?"

"I could continue lying to myself … or I could do what I really want to do and that's date you."

Ianto stared at Jack searchingly, looking for any trace of insincerity or ulterior motive and finding none. "A sudden change of heart."

"Not so sudden. I just … I know I screwed up." Jack swallowed audibly. "Please give me another chance."

Ianto let the silence hang for a moment, then he asked. "What about the baby?"

"I'm hoping it can give me another chance as well. Just don't expect me to … I don't deal well with the past or memories, so maybe I'll be a bit difficult at times."

"I noticed and I guessed you would," Ianto answered with a chuckle. "If it's any consolation, I screwed up as well. I shouldn't have pushed you."

They smiled at each other, tentatively, and Ianto squeezed Jack's hand. For a long moment, it was quiet.

Finally, Jack asked, "So? Dinner? A movie?"

"Willing to wait for a few months?" Ianto answered. "Those cramps are wicked. I wouldn't want to freak out the restaurant personnel."

"The cramps stop during the sixth month."

Ianto raised his eyebrows. "I'll be too big then to go outside without being noticed."

"So I'll have to wait?" Jack asked, mock-glaring at him.

Ianto grinned and put one hand in Jack's nape to pull him in. "No, not really."

The kiss started out sweet and innocent, but soon, Jack had pushed Ianto back against the headboard and their tongues met passionately. Jack's hand stroked down Ianto's chest and underneath the duvet … and paused. The kiss gentled and Ianto looked up at Jack questioningly. Jack smiled cautiously and pulled the blanket back, settling to lie between Ianto's legs. His fingers carefully traced the outline of the swell of Ianto's belly. Then he spread his hand and covered it, his thumb rubbing gentle circles on the smooth skin. He bent down to kiss it and rested his head on Ianto's chest.

Ianto's fingers tangled in Jack's hair. "I think you're doing remarkably well already," he whispered.


	21. Chapter 21

**PART 3: Stop All The Clocks**

**1.**

The Hub at night had its own atmosphere and Jack had gotten very used to it over the decades. The soft humming caused by electricity being pushed through the old cables, the slight chill in the air that didn't quite register during the day, the smell of stale air. Jack had become so attuned to it all that he could feel the slightest change. It was sometimes a better warning system than their security measures. At the moment, though, everything was peaceful.

Jack's fingers traced patterns on Ianto's by now clearly pregnant belly, trying to rouse any sort of reaction from within and getting none. Ianto had told him that he could feel slight movement from time to time. Jack knew it would take a bit longer until he could, too. The bunker underneath Jack's office was quiet, the warmth underneath the blankets made it cosy. Five months along by now, Ianto was unable to leave the Hub without arousing attention. Nobody would suspect that he was pregnant of course, but Jack wanted to make sure. They slept in the bunker. Since it had become harder for Ianto to descend the ladder, Jack had pushed the closet to the side that, until now, had hidden an old door leading inside from one of the corridors. He'd never used it before – it was much easier to access his quarters through his office.

All in all, Ianto was easily tired out, but content. And Jack had to admit that he felt the same. But there was much work to do: they would have to forge papers declaring a woman as the birth mother and Ianto as the father – and they'd have to forge a death certificate for the woman, so that Ianto would have full parental rights. Ianto would need a new flat.

Owen knew the gender of the baby by now, Ianto and Jack had refused to be clued in, but given him consent to tell Gwen and Tosh if they wanted to know. Tosh was intending to let it be a surprise … Gwen hadn't lasted five minutes, making her and Owen the only ones to know.

Jack looked up at Ianto and noticed that he'd fallen asleep. Jack smiled. It had taken them awhile to work out the problems in their relationship. Things had gotten better since they'd started anew, both of them agreeing to take the relationship slow and serious. Jack hadn't moved in with Ianto, but with Ianto spending all his time in the Hub, that was kind of redundant at the moment. They hadn't agreed yet on how to handle the time after the birth, but Jack was sure that they would think of something.

Jack settled down and closed his eyes. They would think of something. But if he was honest with himself: at the moment, moving in together sounded like a good idea.

xxx

Rhys awoke in his and Gwen's bedroom, gasping for air and sitting up. Gwen turned towards him, rubbed her eyes sleepily and put a hand on his shoulder. "You alright?" she asked softly.

Rhys could just about make out her worried face in the light the streetlamps threw through the window. "Bloody nightmare," Rhys answered and fell back on the bed.

"What was it about?" Gwen asked, cuddling up to his side.

"It was our wedding," Rhys said, "and I was walking down the aisle – pregnant." Gwen laughed. Rhys gave her a playful shove. "It's not funny. Knowing Torchwood, that'll happen."

Gwen kissed his cheek. "I should have never told you about Ianto." She giggled again.

"I don't know how he handles it," Rhys replied, settling down to fall asleep again. "Pregnant. Knocked up by Jack bloody Harkness."

Gwen sighed deeply, getting comfortable. "Well, there wasn't much knocking up involved, really."

"Spare me the details."

"I think you would look gorgeous pregnant," Gwen teased.

"Shut up," Rhys grumbled. "You're giving me nightmares." He buried his nose in Gwen's hair and breathed in deeply. "Are we really getting married in two weeks?"

"We're really getting married." She paused. "Oh, I almost forgot. Jack's going to bring the Eye 5 contact lenses. They enable someone to watch what's going on in real time through Jack's eyes. That way, Ianto can watch the wedding."

Rhys nodded. "Great. Alien technology at our wedding. I bet Torchwood will find a way to mess everything up – like always."

"Everything's going to be just fine," Gwen answered.

Rhys sighed. "I hope so."

xxx

Jack would have brushed the soft sounds off as Myfanwy waddling around the work stations looking for crumbs, but his instincts screamed at him. Somebody was in his very secure base. Someone had broken through the defences. And Jack had Ianto here with him. He sat up carefully, his mind running through the possibilities. The main entrance was too much of a risk since whoever was in here, they were in the main Hub, and the corridor leading to the garage was only accessible via the main Hub and through the main entrance. There was an emergency shaft with various entrances all throughout the base leading through the watertower up towards the surface but it was narrow and Ianto would quite probably not be able to climb up all the way. Plus, it would take forever to crawl out. The shaft hadn't been build for a quick get-away. Jack guessed that Ianto could hide somewhere. The corridor leading to his bedroom was only adjoined by a few storage rooms and the guest quarters before reaching the main Hub. Sure, it was possible that Jack would have dealt with the situation in a matter of minutes but it could just as well take hours. Maybe he needed help. And his mobile was in his coat, in his office – which was in plain sight of the main Hub. Nevertheless, there was his desk which would provide some protection.

His decision made, Jack got out of bed and grabbed his Webley from the nightstand. He shook Ianto's shoulder gently. Ianto sighed sleepily and opened his eyes slowly. Before he could complain, Jack said, "Intruder." Ianto's eyes widened. Jack whispered, "Don't know who, don't know how many. Stay here. If I'm not back in two minutes to tell you I was wrong, go and hide."

Ianto frowned, clearly not happy with that plan.

"I know," Jack said, "but you have the baby to think of." He pecked Ianto's lips and climbed the ladder. He peeked into his office. Nobody was here, nobody was in range. His eyes followed shadows thrown against the wall of the main Hub and he cursed silently. There was definitely someone in the Hub. He gestured for Ianto to use the door and watched him get up hastily and leave the bunker. Then Jack pulled himself up into his office and closed the hatch. First, he had to call in his team. He made his way towards his coat and got out his mobile. He hid behind his desk while he sent the emergency code to their mobiles. Then he straightened carefully and used the back entrance of his office to get to the main Hub.

He descended the stairs quietly. His eyes fell on the door to the armoury which was located in one corner of the main Hub. He locked it every evening and it looked like nobody had broken in. That was a relief. Jack pressed against the cold concrete wall and carefully approached the working area.

A tall, athletic man with short, brown hair was standing in the middle of the room, his back to Jack, looking up the watertower to the high ceiling. Something about the way he held himself, something about the jacket he wore – dark brown leather – was familiar. Jack pushed that thought aside and focussed on the situation at hand. The man wouldn't be alone here. Jack suspected that there were more. He couldn't see anyone else, though. He crept towards a secure position and pointed his gun at the guy's head. "Alright. Hands up and turn around slowly. Who are you?" The man put up his hands, turned around and Jack's breath stuttered in his chest. "Rick!"

Richard Carson seemed just as surprised to see him. His dark eyes narrowed and then recognition dawned on his sharp features. "Brian?"

Jack didn't lower his weapon but he relaxed his stance. "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same," Rick answered. "After you left the Time Agency, there were rumours that you were dead. We all thought it was true. All of us except John of course. Then he said he found you – about half a year ago. I gotta say, I was surprised."

Jack looked at Rick closely, noting the wrinkles around his eyes that hadn't been there when he'd last seen him on the day he'd resigned from the agency, leaving two years of his memories behind. He slowly walked towards Rick. "What is your business here? You can't be here for the Time Agency, John said it's gone."

Rick's eyes narrowed. "I'd like to know what you are doing here first."

"This is my base. My home."

Rick shook his head and snorted. "Earth? 21st century? You can't be serious, Brian."

"It's Captain Jack Harkness now." As a Time Agent, he'd taken on several different names over the years. Nobody there worked under their real name, there was too much of a risk of upsetting time by using the identity of someone who wouldn't be born for decades or had been dead for years. Jack had shed his last Time Agent identity – Brian Jackson – as soon as he could. He'd run into some trouble and had had to vanish. Three names later, he'd stuck with Captain Jack Harkness. It was the name the Doctor knew him under, it was the name he'd given Torchwood. By now, over a hundred years later, it really had become _his_ name.

"Jack," Rick corrected himself.

"Why did you break in here? How did you break in here?"

"There's an unsecured gate in the ceiling."

Myfanwy's hatch. Tosh had installed a lock that would allow the pteranodon to go out and fly at night. It was triggered by a scanner recognizing Myfanwy on her way out and in. It had taken Ianto a while to train her to come back in the early morning hours. Myfanwy had been the reason for some very inventive cover stories until she'd learned what the rising sun meant. But the hatch only opened for her. Jack narrowed his eyes. "It's not unsecured."

Rick held up his arm where his vortex manipulator was to be seen under the hem of his leather jacket. "Unsecured enough." He smiled weakly and zipped open his jacket. He wore a dark jumper underneath. His handgun – a powerful, small weapon – was tucked into his chest holster. He didn't reach for it, still eyeing Jack's Webley nervously. His hands went into his jeans pockets. He looked around as if taking in the main Hub for the first time. "So, what? This is your place?"

"You could say that," Jack answered.

Rick looked at the Webley. "Come on now, Jack, I know things between you and the agency ended badly, but I had nothing to do with it."

Slowly, Jack lowered the gun. "So, what are you doing here?"

"I'm looking for Sophia."

Jack's gun raised again. It was too much of a coincidence. John turning up, them finding out that Sophia had been a prisoner of Torchwood One and now Rick's arrival. Damn, he shouldn't have trusted John. "She's not here." Pain exploded in Jack's chest and he cried out. The Webley fell from his hand and hit the metal grating with a clatter. Jack coughed, feeling winded. It took him a moment to figure out that he was now lying on the floor of the Hub, staring at the ceiling. Rick was kicking aside his gun while one more figure appeared in Jack's line of sight. Kenya Stevenson, a dark-skinned beauty who wore her hair shorter than the last time Jack had seen her, was pointing her silver stun gun at him. She'd been the one who had shot him. She'd always preferred stun guns over deadly weapons. Jack groaned, feeling his muscles relax slowly. The pain lessened.

Rick shrugged. "I don't believe you." He casually put his foot on Jack's neck, his boot pressing down on Jack's windpipe, starting to choke him. "We followed the last signal of her vortex manipulator here. Tell me where she is, right now, or I will kill you."

Jack chuckled hoarsely. "You think that scares me."

There was a shuffling noise and Rick looked away towards it. "Maybe not," he said, grabbing a fistful of Jack's t-shirt and forcing him around on his knees, so that he could see towards his office. Lance Hensley, a resolute-looking man with red, short hair, was just about to manhandle Ianto towards them from out of the corridor leading to Jack's quarters, holding a gun to his side. Rick's fingers grabbed Jack's hair. "But I could kill him."

"You wouldn't. He's pregnant," Jack said grimly.

"I don't care about that sort of thing." He crouched next to Jack. "So … what will it be?"


	22. Chapter 22

**Thanks for all the reviews I got 'til now. Just here to say that there won't be an update tomorrow. Thanks for reading!**

**2.**

"Listen," Jack said, "we found Sophia's vortex manipulator just a few weeks ago. It must have been activated by accident. That must have alerted you. But she's not here." He stared at Rick pleadingly. "Gods, I wish she were."

Rick's eyes narrowed and straightened. "Where is she then?" he asked, walking over to Ianto. Jack was all too aware of Kenya behind him, without a doubt pointing her stun gun at him. Rick stopped next to Ianto and nodded at Lance, he let go and stepped back a bit, just enough to give Ianto a bit of space. Rick looked at Jack with raised eyebrows. "I'm very interested in hearing that, Jack."

"She's dead," Jack answered. "Has been for years."

Rick's face turned to stone. Very softly, he said, "That … is a lie."

"It's not. I'm sorry." Jack shook his head. "I only found out around the same time we recovered the manipulator." He glanced at Ianto, who was holding one hand against his belly, his face pale. For one terrible moment, Jack feared that he would have a cramp but then Ianto's features relaxed again and Jack breathed a sigh of relief. The cramps were becoming less. With Ianto approaching the sixth month, they would hopefully soon stop. Ianto looked at Jack and gave a tiny nod. He was alright.

Rick's hands balled to fists. "Liar!" He grabbed Ianto's hair before he kicked him to send him to his knees. Ianto bit his lip and clearly tried not to make a sound of pain. Rick's gun pressed hard enough against Ianto's temple to force him to tilt his head. "You're a liar."

Jack forced himself to remain calm. Ianto could handle himself. Pregnant or not, he was used to dangerous situations. Jack focussed on Rick. "She's dead." Rick's grip tightened and Ianto choked on a whimper. Jack swallowed. "Leave him alone. He's got nothing to do with this."

"Is he your lover?" Rick asked.

Jack bit back an answer. He wasn't about to give Rick any more ammunition against him.

"Of course he is," Rick spat. "Cute, young, impressionable-"

Ianto cleared his throat and asked Jack, "Am I impressionable?"

Jack forced a smile. "I don't think so, no. Rather stubborn and headstrong, more like."

"You love it."

Jack's smile turned real. "I do."

Rick kicked Ianto's thigh. "Shut up!"

Jack bit his lip.

Ianto pulled a face. "Ow." He was putting on a strong mask for Jack and he knew that Jack knew. His eyes gave him away. Jack would have laughed if the situation hadn't been so dire. Ianto was being _professional_, supporting Jack the only way he knew how.

Rick was breathing heavily. "How about this, Jack? You took my lover, so I'll take yours."

Jack saw Lance step towards Rick and then abort the move just as quickly. He wasn't happy about where this was going. That was good. They could use that later on … maybe. Jack stared at Rick firmly. "That doesn't work since I didn't take Sophia from you."

"Really? I spent years looking for her! Years! Every time her vortex manipulator was activated, I followed the signal and every time I found nothing. Now it leads me here and what do I find? You! And a base full of alien technology. There's no need to lie to me, Jack. We scanned the building. You hoard this technology and if need be, you kill to get it, ain't I right?"

"I didn't kill Sophia. I'm not responsible for her vanishing. I looked for her with you, Rick. She meant a lot to me."

Rick bit his lip. "If she meant so much to you, then surely you understand that I want her vortex manipulator back."

Jack swallowed and looked at Ianto. His eyes had widened. Jack turned back to Rick. "I can't. It's not here anymore."

They had sent it to UNIT for them to study – reluctantly. Jack had only given in because UNIT had handed over all files on the _Horizon_ project they had – complete and without blacked out passages. The manipulator was due back in six weeks. And even if they had it here … Jack wasn't sure if he would just hand it over. He knew for certain that Ianto wouldn't expect him to.

Rick pulled his weapon from its holster. Jack wanted to jump up, to position himself between Ianto and Rick, to tackle Rick to the floor ... he didn't know exactly what he intended to do ... but Kenya's strong arm wrapped around his throat and she pushed her knee into his back, keeping him off-balance and hanging on to his air supply by a thread. Rick didn't shoot Ianto. He brought the gun's butt down on Ianto's head, though. Ianto collapsed to the floor and curled his arms around his head, groaning quietly. Rick pulled his foot back, aiming for Ianto's belly, but Jack screamed, "No!" Rick paused and looked at him. Jack begged, "Please. Please, Rick. You know me. You've seen me lie … so look at me." He waited until Rick's eyes were focussed on his face in concentration. "It's not here."

"Where is it?"

"With an organisation we work together with sometimes."

"Where?"

"It's got bases all over the world. I don't know where they sent the manipulator."

"Well, ask them."

"They're not very fond of me," Jack said. Rick stepped away from Ianto and towards Jack. He stared at him for a long moment, then he turned away and Jack breathed a sigh of relief when he said, "Lock them up."

xxx

Roald Dahl Plass at night was devoid of life – the complete opposite from daytime and late evening. It was two in the morning and there were no restaurants open anymore, no bars, no clubs and the Millennium Centre had finished business hours ago. Gwen met Tosh and Owen at the water tower. The both of them looked grim. She was mainly puzzled. The text message that had arrived about half an hour ago had startled her awake and she'd left even though she didn't quite know what to make of it. Jack had sent it – that was all she needed to know to come to the Hub. And now, Tosh and Owen were waiting outside instead of inside and that was never a good sign. She looked at them questioningly. "Code 0?" she asked.

Tosh answered, "Intruders."

Owen added, "Or: 'Please come back and save my arse.'"

Gwen couldn't laugh. "Intruders?"

Now she saw that both Owen and Tosh had their guns tucked into their waistbands. She got her own out of her handbag and put the bag down on the invisible lift. Nobody would see it there thanks to the perception filter, so she wasn't worried about leaving it.

"Yes," Owen answered. "And Jack and Ianto are down there. Knowing them, they'll be in the middle of the action."

"What are we going to do?" Gwen asked.

Tosh answered, "There's a hatch, designed for cases like this. It's a flight tunnel or an access tunnel, whatever you need."

"Alright," Gwen said. She narrowed her eyes when Tosh and Owen looked worried. "I guess, there's a catch."

Owen grimaced. "Not exactly a catch. More a problem."

"Alright," Gwen replied carefully.

Owen nodded upwards to the top of the water tower. "It starts at the top. How do we get up there?"

xxx

Jack hated to be prisoner in his own base. They'd taken his vortex manipulator. Without it, he felt vulnerable. Frustrated, he pressed his hands against the plexiglass separating the cell from the corridor and then walked towards Ianto, who was huddled in a corner of the cell. It was cold down here – since they didn't have any prisoners on this level at the moment, the heating was turned off – and Ianto was, just as Jack, only clad in tracksuit bottoms and a t-shirt. He was visibly shaking. Jack felt the cold seep into his bones as well. So he sat down next to Ianto and pulled him close.

Ianto was reluctant. "I'm alright."

"I know," Jack said and pressed his lips to Ianto's ear. "But it's cold … and they can hear us if we talk loudly."

Ianto looked at him questioningly and then his eyes found the camera in the corner of the cell. He whispered, "The CCTV doesn't have audio."

"Yes," Jack replied, "but they left a bug behind. They're listening to us right now." Ianto stared at him. Jack smiled bitterly and kissed his temple. "I know their methods." He kissed Ianto again and tasted blood. Worried, he took a look at the headwound, but it seemed to be only superficial. He muttered, "I managed to send a message to the others. They'll already be looking for a way in."

Ianto nodded. "Good."

"We have to be ready to go with them." He looked at Ianto earnestly. "Do you think you can manage?" His hand strayed to Ianto's belly, cupping it from the underside … did he just feel something?

"I will," Ianto said. His hand joined Jack's and he squeezed gently.

Jack smiled. "Good. We'll get out of here."

"I know we will."


	23. Chapter 23

**3.**

"Uh ... excuse me!" a man said and Gwen and Tosh turned around. A police car was standing on the curb, a female PC leaning against it, watching another, male PC was hurrying towards them. Tall, wiry, sandy-blonde hair …

Gwen smiled when she recognized him. "Andy!"

He just frowned disapprovingly. His hands came to rest on his belt. "What do you think you are doing? There've been complaints about youths using the water tower as a climbing wall."

Gwen looked up at Owen who was busy climbing up the tower. He had a rope from Gwen's car boot slung around his shoulders. With his fingers and bare feet, he managed to find purchase in-between the mirrors stuck to the surface of the tower. He was rather impressive, Gwen had to admit. She hadn't thought he had it in him. She turned back to Andy. "Uh … that's Torchwood business."

Andy looked at Tosh and she smiled innocently. "Yes. Torchwood business."

Andy tried to look strict … and failed. While Gwen had worked with him when she'd still been a PC, she'd always adored how cute he looked when he tried to be stern. He'd never appreciated that particular joke. He seemed to notice that he wasn't having much success pulling off the firm face and frowned instead. "He could fall down. This is dangerous."

"Oh ..." Gwen smiled. "Don't worry. We will definitely call an ambulance if it comes to that." Andy looked at her as if she'd gone crazy. Gwen had to admit that he wasn't so far off. But the fact was that an ambulance wouldn't be able to help Owen, should he indeed fall. He was already dead. There was a lot at stake for him. Wounds and broken bones didn't heal anymore. But he'd volunteered and Gwen knew that she wouldn't be able to do this job. She guessed that Tosh felt the same. To Andy, she shook her head. "Go on, Andy. We'll be gone from here soon."

"What do you want up there?" He was like a dog with a bone sometimes. So curious about Torchwood, but he just didn't seem to understand that Gwen couldn't tell him anything about it.

"Torchwoo-"

"Torchwood business," Andy interrupted her rudely. "Sure, what else?" He turned to go back to his car where his partner was waiting. Half-way there, he turned back around. "You'll call me if you need me?"

Gwen nodded. "Of course. But don't worry. This is just … a drill."

Andy shook his head and left, muttering to himself.

Gwen and Tosh turned back around to watch Owen. Tosh raised an impressed eyebrow. "Who knew he could do that?"

"I didn't," Gwen answered. She took a step back and pulled Tosh with her. At her questioning glance she said, "Well, if he falls, we shouldn't be in the way."

xxx

"So, they were your colleagues during your days as a Time Agent?" Ianto asked.

Jack nodded. "Yeah, all three of them and John … and Sophia." Ianto stroked a hand down his belly. They were still huddled together in the corner of the cell. There wasn't anything else to do at the moment. Jack knew the cells – knew there was no way out of them. The others were their only hope. He just wanted them to hurry up. He didn't feel comfortable at all with Ianto in danger like this. "It's not just about the manipulator, though," Jack said. "Rick said they scanned the building. What do you want to bet that they're raiding the archives right now?"

"So this is what?" Ianto asked. "An impromptu theft?"

"Ever heard the saying that opportunity makes thieves? He came here and he saw an opportunity. The Time Agency doesn't exist anymore … I don't think they have a job. They're con men."

"Like you became after the agency?"

Jack snorted in amusement. "Yeah … apparently working for the agency messes with your morals." He brushed a hand over Ianto's belly and looked up at the CCTV camera. He just hoped that their morals weren't too screwed up.

xxx

Owen pulled a face when he noticed how thick the layer of dust was they were crawling through. "I'm going to tell Ianto that in all his time of dusting every available surface in the Hub, he missed this tunnel."

From behind him, Gwen replied, "Don't be such a baby ... and move."

Owen crawled on, following Tosh along the narrow shaft. On their way down the inside of the water tower, they'd found a hole in the structure and had been able to risk a glance inside the main Hub. They'd seen three people at least who'd carried boxes from the archives into the main Hub and gone through them, putting aside some of the devices, probably to take them with them when they left. So they were dealing with thieves. Sometimes, Owen hated his job. Also, the emergency lockdown hadn't been activated, which was more than a bit disconcerting in Owen's opinion. They must have found a way through their security measures to manage that. He would have a word with Tosh about it.

Tosh stopped, almost causing Owen to bump into her. "Okay," she said. "We should be underneath some of the cells now." Her PDA was throwing a weak light through the shaft. "I'm getting several lifesigns."

"The Weevils," Owen said.

Gwen added, "We've got four in custody at the moment."

Tosh answered, "Then we're in luck. There are only two lifesigns on the level above us."

Owen concluded, "Jack and Ianto."

He heard Gwen cock her gun. "Let's do this," she said.

"One question, though," Owen replied while Tosh turned onto her back and reached up to work open the lid that would take them into the cell block. "Ianto will never fit into these shafts."

Silence fell.

"You're right," Gwen said finally.

"It's going to have to be all or nothing," Owen decided. "We're going out, get Jack and Ianto and then find a place to hide Ianto before taking the baddies out."

"Alright," Gwen said.

"Alright," Tosh echoed.

"Good," Owen said. Tosh pushed the lid open and sat up to climb out of the shaft. Owen followed her, relieved to be out of the stuffy shaft, and saw that they really were in the cell block. And there, just next to him, were Jack and Ianto standing at the plexiglass window. Both of them frantically signing for them to be quiet. Owen nodded and put a finger on his lips for Gwen to see. She nodded as well and climbed out of the shaft. Tosh was making herself useful with the lock to the cell. She frowned, which was never a good sign. Owen looked at her questioningly and Tosh shook her head. Apparently, the lock had been tampered with. Owen cursed silently. He thought and then looked at Jack, holding up his gun. Jack closed his eyes, resigned, but nodded. He grabbed Ianto's hand and pulled him into a corner away from the door, shielding him with his body. It was risky. The shooting of the lock would certainly alert the intruders and that meant they had to run. And as much as Ianto grumbled about all of them babying him, he was pregnant and now, five months along, his ability to move was restricted. He tired fast and then there were the cramps that still hadn't stopped fully.

They all took a deep breath and then Owen shot.


	24. Chapter 24

**4.**

"Run, run, run, run," Jack panted, pulling Ianto after him. Owen was behind Ianto, making sure they weren't being followed. The corridors seemed to stretch into endlessness. Especially since the voices of the former Time Agents and their heavy-booted steps echoed along the walls. They hadn't caught up with them yet but they were close. Jack's grip around Ianto's hand tightened. There was no time to hide him, no time to stop for even a second. "Split up!" Jack called when he saw a junction coming up. "Ianto and I'll try our luck with the garage. Gwen, the tourist office. Tosh, Owen, the side entrance." The side entrance was the short name for the former submarine bay. Owen and Tosh would be able to dive their way out of the Hub, if the intruders hadn't tampered with the locks like they had with the one on the cell. Jack really hoped that they'd overlooked one or two entrances.

They reached the junction and Owen and Tosh ran towards the side entrance. Gwen nodded at Jack and wanted to head for the tourist office, but Ianto grabbed her hand and stopped Jack. "Gwen," he panted.

Jack pulled on Ianto's arm. "We have to go."

"The top drawer in the back room of the tourist office. There's a red chip with a button on top. It's a beacon, it will call for help."

"Help?" Jack asked with a frown. "By whom?"

Ianto let go of Gwen. "Go!"

She nodded and ran off.

Jack tightened his hold on Ianto. "Who?"

"John."

Jack's eyes widened. "You can't trust him. He is a Time Agent, just like they are. He probably told them to come here."

"I trust him," Ianto replied, staring at Jack earnestly.

The steps echoing down the corridor came closer. Jack pulled Ianto along. "I hope you're right."

They turned a few corners and Jack noticed that Ianto was starting to lag behind. He felt like a jerk for pulling him along but there was no way he would leave him. "Come on, not much farther."

Ianto stopped. "I can't." He struggled to breathe. "Jack." His hands went to his stomach and then he fell to his knees, biting his lip to suppress a scream.

Jack cursed. A cramp. He pulled Ianto up and around another corner into a storage room. They crawled underneath a shelf, Jack lying on top of Ianto and trying to apply pressure to stop the cramp. But the space was too narrow. Ianto couldn't hold back a whimper of pain anymore and Jack clapped his hand above Ianto's mouth, cutting the sound off. Ianto writhed beneath him, fighting against Jack's hold. The door opened and they froze.

"I get lifesigns down here." Kenya's voice.

Jack closed his eyes. He'd forgotten about the vortex manipulator's ability to detect lifesigns. He and Ianto were already lost.

A second set of steps followed Kenya inside. "Jack?" Rick asked. "Or whoever … we've got your two friends."

Jack's eyes widened and he looked down at Ianto who was grabbing Jack's arms hard enough to leave bruises. The cramp had to be bad.

Rick sighed. "This is pointless, come out."

It really was pointless, Jack realized. Except ... _two_ friends. That meant that Gwen was probably still running. Probably already at the tourist office. He closed his eyes and leaned his forehead against Ianto's, kissing the bridge of his nose. "No shooting," he said then.

There was a grin in Rick's voice. "No shooting," he promised. Jack crawled off Ianto and out from underneath the shelf. Rick and Kenya had their guns pointed at him and were smiling triumphantly. Rick nodded towards the shelf. "Get your boyfriend out here." Jack helped Ianto out from underneath the shelf, relieved that the worst of the cramp seemed to be over. Ianto was pale and visibly shaken but he didn't use Jack as a crutch when he stood, preferring to stand by himself. Rick put his gun away. "On your knees. Hands behind your head."

They obeyed, Ianto a bit slower than Jack. Rick came towards them and used a set of handcuffs on Jack to bind his hands behind his back. Kenya threw him another pair for Ianto. When Ianto was bound, Rick stepped back and looked at Jack before hitting Ianto across the face. Ianto remained kneeling, barely. Jack glared at Rick.

"No shooting," Rick said with a grin.

xxx

"Red, with a button," Gwen muttered, rummaging through the top drawer of Ianto's desk in the back room of the tourist office. She found the emergency beacon hid away between two requisition forms and without further hesitation pushed the button. Whoever would come, Ianto trusted that they could help, so Gwen would, too. She put the device back where she'd found it and closed the drawer, then ran to the door. It was locked, as expected. The tourist office was, after all, closed. She opened the wall panel next to the door and retrieved the key. The tourist office door was the only one leading into the base with a normal lock. It would only cause questions to secure it with more than a key. Instead, the secret door down to the base and the backdoor in the office behind the main room of the tourist office could be protected by passcodes. Gwen had been able to leave the Hub via the door to the back room with her usual code. Either the intruders had overlooked it or they just plain hadn't bothered tampering with the lock. Now, only a wooden door separated her from the cool Cardiff night, freedom and a call for help. UNIT, she decided. However much Jack hated them, this was a perfect time to work together. She pushed the small key into the lock.

"Stop!" a man said from behind her. A gun was cocked. "Drop the key. I _will_ shoot you."

There was no point in risking her life, Gwen knew. So she did as she was told. Slowly, she turned around to a man wearing something that looked like a beige jumpsuit. He had short, red hair and a young-looking face with grey eyes. She raised her hands. The man stepped towards her and pulled her gun out of her waistband, tucking it into his holster.

There was a sudden gust of wind swishing a few flyers down from the counter and Gwen frowned in confusion. Before she could figure out what could cause the breeze in a closed room, the man grabbed her and shielded his body with hers, holding his gun to her temple. Just a few steps away, a golden light appeared and then parted to open a Rift in space and time. Out of it stepped none other than John Hart. Gwen made a sound of surprise. John looked at her, clearly puzzled, then at the man behind her. A slow grin spread over his features. "I see the party started without me."

xxx

Jack was forced to his knees in the main Hub beside Owen and Tosh. Kenya opened one of the cuffs around his wrist and looped the chain around the railing behind Jack, then fastened it again. Owen and Tosh were restrained in the same manner. Jack saw a big pile of boxes and crates beside Owen's workstation and a smaller one next to Tosh's. "I see you are already going through the goods?" he asked Rick who just smiled and forced Ianto to kneel next to him, a few steps away from Jack and the others. Jack didn't like the implications of that. So they were going to use Ianto against them. He wasn't really surprised and exchanged looks with Tosh and Owen. Both of them seemed to be okay, even though there was a scratch down Tosh's cheek.

"I'm impressed by the vast amount of technology you have here," Rick answered Jack's question, "but I also know that the really good stuff is hidden away somewhere. I get the energy readings and I found the safe in your office and that huge, thick door down in the storage ..." He pulled a face. "Unfortunately, those locks are more secure than your entire base." He tapped his manipulator. "Can't get them open."

"Sorry about that," Jack said sarcastically.

"Yeah, well," Rick replied and put a hand on Ianto's head, patting him mockingly, "we're going to find a way to convince you that giving me the necessary information to open those doors will be worth your while."

Jack swallowed. "Sorry, no can do." There was potentially dangerous technology in his safe – things that weren't supposed to see the light of day ever again. And behind the door in the archives: weapons. A small arsenal that could win any war. He had a responsibility to keep those weapons and the things in his safe away from everyone – especially people like Rick. "Open his handcuffs at least," Jack said, looking at Rick pleadingly. "Come on."

Rick smiled. For a moment it looked as if he would refuse Jack but then he opened Ianto's handcuffs. Ianto rubbed his wrists and gifted Jack with a reassuring smile.

Owen asked, "So, what's the plan?" That got him Rick's attention. "Steal more than you can carry and leave?"

"That was the plan," Rick said with a nod. He walked away from Ianto and pulled over Owen's deskchair, sprawling into it. "It changed. I quite like this place and we would never be able to carry everything we find here and … to be honest, we don't even have a proper home at the moment to store things."

"Oh, I feel so sorry for you," Owen snarled.

"The point is," Rick continued, unimpressed, "why drag the mountain to the prophet if the prophet can come to the mountain?"

Tosh narrowed her eyes. "So you're going to stay?"

Jack shook his head in disbelief. "You're stealing my base from me?"

"Yes, Jack, I'm stealing your base from you," Rick answered. "I'm making it _my_ base and then I'm going to resurrect the Time Agency and we're going to be bigger and better than ever."

"The Shadow Proclamation won't tolerate a Time Agency run from a planet in the 21st century."

"I don't care about the damn Shadow Proclamation!" Rick said and stood up violently, toppling over the chair. "The Shadow Proclamation didn't stop us from going down-"

"They'll have their reasons for that!"

"You would know all about that, wouldn't you, Jack?" Rick spat and stepped closer to him.

"I don't get what you're saying."

Kenya snorted. "Traitor."

Jack looked at her, clueless. "I have never betrayed you."

Rick's fist caught him by surprise. He fell back against the railing and hit his head on the iron – hard enough to make him see stars. Rick yelled, "You are responsible for us going down! What do you think why we erased your memories, Jack? You killed the Time Agency!"

Jack stared up at him. He couldn't remember. "Why would I do that? Why would I bring down the only good thing I had in my life?"

Rick sneered. "You don't even deserve an answer." He turned away again. "Give me the codes to the safe and that door in the basement. And while you're at it, also give me the code for the armoury."

Jack, still shocked, shook his head. "No."

Rick stopped behind Ianto and put his hands on his shoulders. Judging by Ianto's grimace, he was leaning his full weight on him. Rick looked at Owen and Tosh. "I'm not only asking Jack. If anyone wants to share those codes-"

"I'm the only one who knows them," Jack said. That was true for the weapons arsenal in the basement. The code to his safe … Ianto knew that one as well. And learning the code to the armoury was part of the induction of Torchwood agents, so all of them knew it. But Jack wanted Rick's focus on him.

Rick looked at Kenya and nodded. She pulled something out of her jacket and threw it at Rick who caught it. It was a slim, black leather case. Rick opened it and got out a syringe. He carefully closed the case again and put it on the topmost step to Jack's office. "Do you remember the Telka?"

Jack's heart skipped a beat. His chest became unbearably tight. "Please," he said. "Rick, please don't."

Owen asked, "Jack?"

Rick smiled at him and explained, "Poisonous creatures. Their bite can kill beings as big as space whales."

Jack's eyes were riveted to the clear liquid in the syringe. Then he looked at Ianto who had gone pale, but he met Jack's gaze with determination and shook his head.

"Of course, it kills humans as well," Rick continued conversationally. "Not very fast, though. A space whale needs about three weeks to die. A human … I've never tested it, but I heard something along the lines of eight hours." He chuckled. "Of course, I don't know the effect it would have on a pregnant person. Say the carrier dies within eight hours … I guess the baby dies sooner. Give it two hours, maybe three?" He grinned. "Let's test it." He placed the syringe against Ianto's neck.

"No!" Jack screamed. He heard Tosh choke on a sob and metal grating against metal when Owen fought against his cuffs. Ianto was eerily calm.

Rick paused. "Then give me the codes."

Jack stared at him, then he looked at Ianto, undecided.

Ianto said, "Don't give him the codes."

Rick grabbed his hair. "You shut up!" He looked at Jack again. "I'm waiting – three, two ..."

The alarm sounded and the Hub door rolled open. Rick straightened and looked towards the entrance. "What the fuck are you doing here?" he asked as soon as John strolled through the cogwheel door with Gwen and Lance in his wake. Jack had never been more happy to see John. He noticed that Lance had bound Gwen's hands behind her back and was pointing his gun at John. Jack cursed inwardly. They didn't trust him.

John answered, "Don't be so enthusiastic, Rick. One could think you missed me."

"The last time I saw you, you were turning your back on us."

That surprised Jack.

John nodded. "So? I'm not here for you."

"Why then? Are you stalking us?"

John looked around, taking in the opened crates and the boxes with the technology. "I see you were faster than me."

"You're after the tech?" Rick asked.

"Not originally, no. But I got some very interesting energy readings on my way down. Thought it couldn't hurt to check it out after our friend stopped pointing his gun at me." He looked at Lance who glanced at Rick.

After a moment of indecision, Rick nodded and Lance lowered the gun. He pushed Gwen towards the others and chained her to the railing.

John followed him up the few steps to the working area and put his hands on his hips. "Very nice!" he said, looking around. His eyes focussed on Ianto. "_Very_ nice." He then saw the syringe in Rick's hand and turned his head to the team. Jack made a show of looking the other way as if he didn't want John to recognize him. "Did I interrupt some kind of torture? Sorry about that." He hopped onto Tosh's desk. Several gadgets and papers fell to the floor. "Please, do carry on."

Rick sighed tiredly. "What are you doing here? Really."

John rolled his eyes. "I guess the same as you."

And that was when Rick made his mistake. Jack couldn't help but be amazed at the ease with which John had managed to draw more information from the former Time Agent than he should have given him. But then again, John had always been extraordinarily good at extracting information.

Rick said, "This is just a bonus. We followed Sophia's manipulator."

John raised his eyebrows. "You got the signal, too, then?"

"Yeah," Rick answered.

"Just a short burst of data?"

"Yeah, was hard to track. Took us a while."

"Me, too," John replied. "So, is it here?"

"No. But look who we found," Rick answered. Kenya grabbed Jack's hair and forced him to look at John.

John pasted on a surprised look, then he chuckled. "Darling … and I thought I'd never see you again."

"You told us that he's on Earth, 21st century, but you never mentioned that he's the boss of a base full of technology."

"'Cause I didn't know," John answered.

"Well, he got himself a pretty little team. Got himself a lover." Rick patted Ianto's head again. "You've been replaced."

John looked at Ianto. "He's pregnant."

"He is," Rick said with a nod.

John looked at Ianto's belly. "How far along?"

Ianto met John's eyes. "Five months."

"Is it Jack's?"

"Yes."

John hopped off the desk. Jack said, "Don't you dare touch him!"

John ignored him. He was at Ianto's side with a few quick steps, grabbing his chin and tilting his head into the Hub's bright lights. Now, Jack could see a bruise form just beneath Ianto's eye, probably from when Rick had hit him in the storage room. John seemed to deduce the same and frowned at Rick. "Couldn't wait to hit him?"

Silence engulfed them for a moment, then, unexpectedly, Kenya answered, "There's no need for you to get involved, John." Her voice was gentle, understanding.

John looked at her, then at Rick. "A word?"

"Sure," Rick answered and gestured towards Jack's office. When John had passed by him, Rick waved Kenya closer and gave her the syringe, nodding at her. Then he joined John in Jack's office.

Lance snorted. "Stupid idiot."

Kenya replied, "Stop it. He hasn't been the same since Terry." She looked at Jack. "So … the codes, please."

Jack hoped that John had a plan.


	25. Chapter 25

**5.**

As soon as the door closed, Rick asked, "Are we having words about morals?"

"Yes," John answered.

"With you of all people?" Rick replied with a disbelieving snort. "Please, John." He let himself fall into Jack's chair and put his feet on the desk. "This place has all the technology we could ever want. We can sell it, use it, do whatever we want with it."

"So this isn't just about Sophia?" John asked.

"Jack says she's dead. If that's the case she was killed by him or someone related to him. I don't care to be honest. Fact is she's dead and I want him to pay for it. With his life – and I'm not talking the normal _'I'm going to kill him'_ routine. That's boring. It's much, much better to take everything away he ever cared about and make him watch."

John stared at him in disbelief. Sure, he'd had fantasies along those lines when he'd found Jack again a few months ago. Especially since Jack didn't treat him as anything else but a nuisance. But while his motivation at the beginning had been anger, he'd later realized that the reason for his destructive behaviour and the injuries he'd inflicted on Jack's team had been jealousy. Jealousy over Jack's plain luck in having such a dedicated group of friends around him while John had … nobody, really. Nobody as close to him as Jack team was to Jack. Trying to take it away had been wrong. Especially since he'd become quite fond of them. He would make it up to them now. He forced a grin. "You haven't changed one bit."

"You haven't changed, either," Rick replied. "Frankly, I'm surprised you turned up here."

John shrugged. "I cared for Sophia. I wanted to find out what happened." He glanced at the main Hub, where the team was still kneeling. Kenya was standing behind Ianto, clearly having taken over the role as interrogator, while Lance was keeping an eye on everyone. John looked back at Rick. "Don't take it out on the pregnant guy."

"John, you know as well as I do that finding the weakest link will break a group apart. We know damn well what kind of weakness a pregnancy is, especially if the father's the one we want the information from."

"Jack won't tell you anything. You could cut out the baby in front of his eyes and he wouldn't utter a word."

"We'll see," Rick replied. He looked at him thoughtfully. "This is the moment you should decide whether you're with us, John. I won't ask you to do anything to the carrier – I respect your grief for Terry –, but you should know that I want the information … badly. You can watch or you can go outside and take a walk, it doesn't matter to me, as long as you're not letting your feelings get in the way."

John knew what he had to do. His first move would be to get Ianto out. Not only would Jack want that, but it would give him the chance to ask Ianto where Torchwood's reinforcements were. He could take Ianto to a safe place and then return with others to free the rest of the team.

Because he knew that Rick would hurt Ianto and the baby if he didn't act now.

"Sure," he answered. "I won't stop you."

"Good to hear," Rick replied with a grin. He got up and looked through the window outside. "Because Kenya already started without us."

John whirled around and stared through the window into the main Hub when he heard Jack scream. He saw the team straining against the handcuffs while Lance held Ianto in a choke hold and Kenya removed a needle from Ianto's neck.

John ripped open the door. "What did you do?" he asked, striding towards them. Kenya threw the syringe away. "What was that?" John asked. Lance and Kenya looked at him steadily.

It was Rick who answered, "It's Telka poison."

John froze. "No," he said softly.

Rick strolled towards Jack who was still straining against the handcuffs. John saw Tosh cry silently while Gwen wouldn't stop pulling on her chains even though tears were running down her face. Owen was staring at Ianto as if he was trying to think of a way to heal him. Rick stopped in front of Jack. "First stage: fever, pain, delusions. Second stage: loss of consciousness. Third stage ..." He crouched down. "Death."

Jack hissed, "Give him the antidote."

"Give me the codes."

"This is between you and me. It's got nothing to do with Ianto or my team."

"Are you sure?" Rick asked, looking at Ianto who had started to struggle with each breath. "It seems to be about your lover, too. And after him, the little brunette and then the Japanese girl and then the guy." He smiled. "I have enough dosages."

"Bastard!" Jack screamed, lunging for him, but the handcuffs held him back.

"Are the codes that important to you?" Rick asked.

Jack narrowed his lips and his eyes met John's, just for a second. It was all John needed. Jack had asked for his help and he would do this right. Not just for Jack but also for Ianto. He saw a small leather case on the top step to Jack's office and remembered that Rick kept the Telka poison in it. He crouched down to pick it up while Rick was busy with Jack, Lance was keeping an eye on the rest of the team and Kenya was watching Ianto. He put the case into his jacket. At least that way, nobody else would get the poison. Owen saw what he was doing and started to fight harder against his handcuffs. When Lance stepped closer threateningly with his gun raised, Gwen kicked him, hitting his ankle pretty hard with the heel of her boot. Lance let out a scream of pain and Kenya hurried over. She hit Gwen across the face.

John programmed his manipulator with a few quick keystrokes, ran to Ianto and pulled him back against him before activating the manipulator and taking him away.

xxx

John fell to his knees as soon as they materialized on top of the building he'd arrived at when he'd visited Torchwood the first time. He hurried to switch off his manipulator so that the others wouldn't be able to track him and helped Ianto to sit up. Ianto's head fell back against John's shoulder and he stared up at him dazedly, struggling to breathe. John touched his forehead. A fever was already starting to heat the skin. He brushed his hand over Ianto's belly. "Okay," he said, trying to calm Ianto. "We need medical help for you and then reinforcements to go back into the Hub. But first, we need a place to stay. Somewhere safe, preferably with someone there we can trust to look after you."

Ianto closed his eyes and nodded slowly. "I think I know a place," he whispered.

xxx

Rhys closed the magazine he'd browsed through while eating his sandwich and took his plate to the sink. He rinsed it, put it in the dishwasher and checked his mobile. Since Gwen had run out on him last night, he hadn't heard anything from her and still, just past nine in the morning, no text message. He wasn't really worried. It happened. But he was starting to feel slightly uneasy. He sighed. No, okay, he was worried sick. His fiancée was fighting aliens, anything could happen. There was a knock at the door. Rhys hurried to answer it, even more so, when the knocking became more insistent immediately and then turned into a banging.

"Yes, yes, alright already." He yanked open the door. "What's your problem, mate? Can't you ..." He stopped when he really took in the man standing in front of his door. A bit older than Rhys, tall, athletic and a terrible taste in clothes if the red vintage military jacket and the tight trousers – was that leather? – were anything to go by. And he had a sword. A sword. And then Rhys noticed that his visitor wasn't alone. He had an arm around another man wearing tracksuit bottoms and a t-shirt and his belly … it was Ianto.

Before Rhys could work through his surprise, the guy shoved his way past him into the flat, helping Ianto along. "Hello, sunshine," the man said. "I'm Captain John Hart and we need your bed." He looked around, found the bedroom on instinct and said, "Ta."

Rhys looked after him. This couldn't be good. "Bloody Torchwood."


	26. Chapter 26

**6.**

Martha felt the air in her kitchen change while she was doing the dishes, as if its consistency was different all of a sudden. Anybody else would probably not even have noticed but she knew the feeling all too well. The TARDIS arriving evoked it as well, but there was no tale-telling wooshing of its engine, so it couldn't be the Doctor. It could be somebody dangerous. She grabbed the still dripping pan, acting as if she hadn't felt the slight breeze an opening in space and time evoked. Then she turned around, pan raised.

John Hart smiled at her. "So we meet again, Martha Jones."

She frowned, not letting go of the pan. Sure, John hadn't been treated as an enemy by the team but not as a close friend, either. "Yes," she answered carefully.

"Your patient needs you." His smile fell. "It's Ianto. It's bad. Somebody took over Torchwood."

Martha's eyes widened.

"They took the team prisoner and Ianto got injected with a lethal poison. I guess I don't have to tell you that his baby ..." John paused and swallowed.

Martha let the pan drop into the dishwater and dried her hands. "How bad is it?" She opened a cupboard and got out the medical bag she always had at her home in case she needed it. Travelling with the Doctor and working for UNIT had prepared her to always be ready.

John reached out a hand. "He could lose the baby. He could die."

Martha saw that he was deadly serious. "Right." She took his hand and grabbed her mobile from the kitchen table. She would have a look at Ianto and when she thought she was out of her depth … well, there was someone she could call. "Let's go."

xxx

Rick stared at Jack. "I should've known that he was on your side. Always blinded by love for you, that silly fool."

Kenya looked up from her manipulator and shook her head. "There are bursts from his manipulator but they're too short. He keeps switching the manipulator off. I can't track him."

"Of course not," Rick replied grimly. "John's many things. Stupid's not one of them." He looked at Jack again. "So, your lover's gone, the poison's gone, all the fun spoiled." He pulled his gun from his holster. Jack tensed but he tried not to show it. Even though he knew that Rick knew he was scared. With Ianto gone, Rick still had three alternatives left and all he had to decide now was to guess who meant the most to Jack, not knowing that every loss would hit him with the same intensity. Jack pulled on his chains. There was a distinct possibility that they wouldn't come out of this alive – at least not all of them. Rick grinned at Jack. "The code to your weapon's arsenal, if you please." He cocked the gun and pointed it at Tosh. "Or you'll lose her and this time, John won't be around to save her."

Jack felt unable to answer. For a moment, all there was to hear was the trickling of the water down the sculpture.

Owen's voice cut through the silence. "Don't you dare," he growled, saying the first thing in what seemed like hours. "If you kill her, I'll kill you. I'll tear you limb from limb."

Rick laughed and looked at Jack. "He's adorable. Where did you find him?"

"Shut up!" Owen yelled. Jack caught Gwen's surprised look and sympathized. It wasn't like Owen to get like this in a dangerous situation. Owen pulled on his handcuffs and sneered. "What, can't you get it up? Is that the reason you're being so miserable that you have destroy other peoples' lives?"

Rick's eyes narrowed dangerously and Jack muttered, "Owen." Owen glared at him and Jack shook his head.

Owen just turned back to Rick. "Are you really that stupid?" he asked. "Or are you just pretending to be? He won't give you the fucking codes, you idiot!" Rick's gun moved from Tosh to Owen. Owen looked at Jack. "Don't give him anything."

And suddenly, Jack understood. Owen's eyes told him everything he needed to know. He turned to Rick. "Don't shoot him, please. He's just nervous."

Rick answered, "Seemed pretty calm before and he's getting on my nerves."

"Don't please. Please, he's the best friend I have."

Gwen turned her head in his direction, her eyes wide and surprised.

"Is he now?" Rick asked. "First your lover then your best friend … I think that's good interrogation technique."

"Leave him alone," Jack said. "Please."

Tosh stared at Rick pleadingly. "Please don't hurt him."

Jack suppressed a smile. Tosh was part of the game now. And Gwen, too. He was amazed to see tears sparkle in her eyes when she added, "There's no reason for you to shoot him."

Rick raised his eyebrows. "Then give me the codes."

"Jack, give him the codes," Gwen repeated frantically. "Jack, you have to!"

"Are you crazy?" Jack asked. "He gets nothing from me."

"You already risked Ianto's life and now Owen's, too?" Gwen asked angrily. Jack was surprised by her vehemence, but then again, Gwen was good at acting. She and Tosh knew what Owen was planning, what Jack had sanctioned with his playing along, and he'd never been more proud of his team than right now.

Rick grinned. "Yes, Jack, listen to them."

"You won't get the codes." He sneered. "You won't shoot him. You're too much of a coward."

"I killed your lover."

"He's not dead and it was Kenya who gave him the poison, not you." Jack leaned into the chains to get as close to Rick as possible. "You've always been a coward."

The shot made him flinch, even though he'd expected it. Gwen and Tosh screamed. Jack didn't have to look to see that Owen was lying on the floor, hit. Dead.

Only, he'd already been dead, was probably right this moment planning his next move. And when Lance told Rick that there was no pulse and Rick told Lance to take the body away, Jack knew that they'd won this battle.

The war was far from over, but Rick had just set one of them free without knowing it.

xxx

Martha looked up from Ianto who was sleeping fitfully in the big double bed in Gwen's flat and addressed John and Rhys, who were waiting close by. "I don't know what to do. He's being poisoned, but … I can't do a thing without the antidote."

John looked almost scared. His hands were on his hips and his fingers flexed, digging into the red jacket. "We don't have the antidote."

Rhys swallowed. "Does that mean he's going to die?"

"He's got a high fever," Martha explained. She looked at the mini-scanner that was part of her UNIT medical equipment. "His organs are being attacked by the poison. He's probably in severe pain." She brushed a hand through her hair. "I can't give him anything against the pain, though. The baby ..." She shook her head. "After everything he went through since he learned he was pregnant – this is how it's going to end?"

"He's not going lose the baby, is he?" Rhys asked, worried.

Martha looked up at him. "I don't know." She tried a comforting smile. It was the first time she'd met Rhys and she instantly liked him. His heart seemed to be in the right place and she could see why Gwen loved him so much. "There's only so much I can do."

John exploded. "I thought you were good," he snapped. "Ianto said I could trust you!"

"You can trust me, but I'm not perfect! My resources are limited. If I could get him into a UNIT facility-"

"I don't trust them," John answered. "Jack said they're not to be trusted."

Martha pulled her mobile from her jeanspocket. "And that's why I'm going to call for the Doctor."

John frowned. "I thought you were a doctor."

"I'm talking about _the_ Doctor. A Time Lord."

John's eyes widened while Rhys just seemed clueless. "Time what?"

John echoed, "A Time Lord? I heard about … I thought they were extinct."

"There's one left. And he's definitely alive."

The line clicked and then the Doctor's cheerful voice floated through. _"Hello?" _

"Doctor, it's Martha. I need you here … it's Ianto."

xxx

Owen waited for several minutes before he opened his eyes carefully. He really was alone, dumped in a storage room just outside the main Hub. He sat up and opened his shirt. There was now a second bullet wound sitting next to the first. He would have to check later if the bullet had left through his back or if he would have to remove it when all this was over. "Great. At this rate, I can start storing things in my chest." He got up and looked around, finding an air vent in the ceiling in a corner. "Just what I need," he muttered. "More dusty tunnels."

xxx

Rhys couldn't quite get over the fact that there was a police box standing in his bedroom. Nor could he quite get over the fact that it had appeared out of thin air or that it was – allegedly – a space ship. Even though the _'appearing out of thin air'_ part pretty much should convince him of that. Also, the Doctor didn't look very alien. Just very annoyed. He passed a scanner over Ianto. "Telka poison?" he asked.

"Yes," John answered, "it's a creature that lives on-"

"I know who the Telka are!" the Doctor snapped and his dark eyes stared at John indignantly. Ianto let out a small, broken sound as if he was trying to say that they shouldn't fight but was unable to. He turned his head slightly and Rhys saw that his eyes were closed, his face pale and sweaty. He felt inadequate, somehow, just standing here beside John. The Doctor didn't even look at Ianto, just reached out a hand and cradled his cheek. "Sh!" he said and somehow, he managed to calm Ianto down. The Doctor stared at John. "What I was trying to say is: what kind of man injects a pregnant person with Telka poison? Any person, really." He got a vial out of his suit jacket. "It's murder."

Rhys swallowed. "So you can't help him?"

The Doctor ignored him. He waved Martha closer and she handed him a syringe. "I know someone on Telka. I made a detour there before I came here and got the antidote."

"So you can help him?" Rhys asked and felt like the odd one out when everyone continued ignoring him.

The Doctor filled the syringe. His focus, though, was still on John. "You're a Time Agent."

"You noticed my vortex manipulator then," John answered.

"Yes. And I dealt with the mess you lot left behind more than once." He injected Ianto carefully. "Unthinking children, that's what you are."

Rhys saw John's face darken. "We did good work-"

"Did you? Did you really? I knew Jack when he was still trapped in that mentality your agency values so much … he almost killed the entire planet because he acted before thinking. You all do. And then, one day, the Shadow Proclamation has enough and drops you and this is what becomes of you." He got up. "Instead of doing some good, trying to redeem yourself, you do this."

"Don't pin this on me," John said. "I didn't do this." The Doctor walked over to the TARDIS. John asked, "Where are you going?"

"To get something." He pushed a key into the lock and turned it.

"What?" John asked. "You could at least tell us if you're able to fix this. I've always heard that you're such a big, wonderful and enlightened race, so what's the plan?"

The Doctor turned around to them and Rhys was surprised to see tears in his eyes. "The plan is to get a batch of nanogenes from inside my ship and to use them to remove the baby without having to rely on surgery."

The silence that slammed into the room was choking.

Then John said, "No, you're saving that baby."

"I can't."

"There has to be a way!" He stalked towards the Doctor, pushing Martha aside who was stepping into his way. "Fix this!"

The Doctor was clearly getting angry now. "How come you former Time Agents always ask me to fix people? I can't fix everything!"

John grabbed the Doctor's lapels and slammed him against the TARDIS. "You can fix this! All that advanced technology in your ship and you are telling me that you can't save one baby?"

Martha stepped towards them, but the Doctor held her back with a sharp, "Don't." Then he looked at John again, calmly. "I can't resurrect the dead."

Rhys heard Martha gasp and she turned away.

"She is dead. She has been for quite some time. Probably within minutes of the injection." He shook his head. "I'm so sorry."

Rhys swallowed and stepped closer to them, putting a hand on John's shoulder. "Let him go, mate."

John shook him off. "No, no, no … that's a _time machine_! Go back in time! Come back earlier!" He sobbed. "Please." Rhys saw his fists tighten in the material of the Doctor's jacket. "Fix this."

"I can't. I'm not allowed to ..."

John let go of the Doctor, then he turned away and left the bedroom. Only a second later, the flat door fell shut.

"Where's he going?" Rhys asked.

"A wild guess?" Martha answered. "To take back the Hub."


	27. Chapter 27

**7.**

There were only three of them. Owen figured he'd be able to surprise them. He was clutching one of the guns they kept in the SUV and was crouching behind the counters in the kitchen niche. He had crawled to the garage door through the ventilation shafts, knowing that he would be seen on CCTV if he'd take the corridors. The door to the garage was easily opened from the inside and he was glad to see that it still recognized his retina when he went back inside. Via the ventilation shafts, he'd reached the main Hub and now, he was waiting for an opportunity to present itself.

That opportunity came faster than he'd anticipated. Rick hadn't interrogated Jack any further while Owen had been gone, seeming to want to give him time to work through Owen's 'death' and that he was following through on his threats. Instead, Rick and Lance were going through some more boxes while Kenya was sitting at Tosh's computer, apparently getting to know their programs. "Rick!" she said suddenly. "It's John. He just walked by one of the cameras in the lower levels."

"What?" Rick asked and joined her, staring at the screen. Owen's grip around his gun tightened. The lower levels … John had probably used Gwen's retina scan to get in through the garage. And he obviously wasn't trying to hide his presence. Rick said, "He's on his way up here. Get ready." They all readied their guns and pointed them at the corridor John would come out of – they were standing with their backs to Owen! There was no doubt they would shoot John on sight and Owen wasn't quite sure why John was taking such a risk, but he didn't much care. He knew that he could help. He carefully approached the intruders and hid away behind the water tower. He pointed his gun at Lance and waited, concentrating on every sound, blocking out the trickling of the water. He could hear John approach and just one second later, Lance shot. There was an answering shot and Owen didn't waste any more time. He hit Lance square in the chest. Kenya whirled around to him and Owen ducked behind the water tower when the electrical charge of her gun headed towards him. He heard John and Rick shooting at each other and then Kenya's hurried steps when she looked for cover. Owen peeked around the tower and managed to shoot her in the shoulder. Kenya cried out and stumbled down a flight of stairs. Owen hurried towards her to take away her gun, but she was faster. The charge of her gun hit his leg. The only flaw in her plan was that Owen didn't feel pain anymore. He grabbed her gun out of her surprised hand and was just about to help John out with Rick when Rick stumbled backwards, clearly hit.

John emerged from the corridor, blood soaking through his jacket from a wound in his flank. John kicked Rick's gun away and pointed his own at Rick's head, his face a cold, determined mask. Owen expected a joke, a sly remark, maybe even a flirty come-on, but John just said, "Look at me."

Rick met John's eyes, defiant. "I gave Jack a reasonable warning," he said.

John just stared at him and a feeling of dread settled in Owen's stomach. Whatever had John so pissed off must have something to do with Ianto. "I gave you a reasonable warning when I told you to stay away from Ianto." He shot and Rick crumpled to the floor, dead.

Kenya cried out "No!" and tried to get up, tried to attack John, no matter what, but he just turned towards her and shot again, killing her instantly.

"Hey!" yelled Owen. "That wasn't necessary."

John ignored him. He searched Rick's pockets and found the keys for the handcuffs. Then he walked over and unfastened each pair with quiet efficiency, keeping Jack for last. Jack grabbed John's lapel with one hand. "John?"

"When I left them, Ianto was alive. That Doctor friend of Martha's did everything he could ..." For a moment, silence hung over them, then John said, "He was too late. I'm sorry."

"Where?" Jack asked.

"Gwen's flat."

At the mention of her name, Gwen seemed to be able to tear herself out of her silent shock. "I'll drive you."

"I'll stay here," John said. "Help with the clean-up."

Jack barely seemed to hear him. He was already on his way out the door, Gwen in his wake. Owen pulled himself out of his own shock and quickly hurried over to Tosh, who was still sitting huddled against the railing. He was worried that, maybe, she'd gotten hurt. He was startled to see her cry. "It's my fault, isn't it?" she asked.

"What?" Owen asked.

She looked up at him. "I activated Sophia's manipulator by accident, remember? They found us because of me. The baby … it's dead because of me." She sobbed and Owen pulled her into his arms. He racked his brain for anything to say, but he couldn't find any words that were adequate enough. Instead he just held her tighter and whispered, "It was a girl. The baby was a girl." His eyes found John, still standing where Jack had left him. "Hey," Owen said softly, "let me have a look at that wound?"

John stared at him and it took a long time before he answered, "No. I'm fine."

xxx

When Jack entered the bedroom, Martha's quick and quiet words of warning lost their significance. Just seeing Ianto was enough to confirm that he already knew – he _knew_ – that he'd lost the baby … their daughter. Still weak, pale and ill, he was lying on his side facing the door, his eyes closed, motionless. The tears rolling down his face were the only thing giving away that he was even alive. The Doctor was looking up at Jack from his position on the edge of the bed. His hand left Ianto's shoulder and he got up to step towards Jack, past the TARDIS that was so out of place in this private space. Jack closed the door, locking out Martha's concern, Gwen's comforting touch and Rhys's awkward pity.

The Doctor touched his arm. "He is going to be okay – health-wise. The antidote took effect."

"Thank you," Jack whispered.

The Doctor nodded and left the room quietly.

Jack waited until the door had closed again before he stepped up to the bed and opened his mouth to say something, anything, but he didn't know what. Nothing would make this better, everything would make it worse. So he stepped even closer and crouched down, touching Ianto's face with hesitant fingertips. Ianto took a deep breath and let it out again, but he didn't open his eyes. "Losing Lisa was bad. This is worse. This is ..." Jack cupped his cheek. Ianto whispered, "You didn't even want the baby." The quiet words hit Jack like a slap. "And I told John that I'd prefer a boy," Ianto continued with a sob. "It's like we cursed it … cursed her."

"She didn't die because we cursed her," Jack answered. "She died because that monster killed her."

"No," Ianto said, "she died because we weighed her life against a code and she lost." Finally, he opened his eyes, staring at Jack with so much grief and pain that it took his breath away for a moment. "We didn't deserve her, did we?"

Jack sat on the edge of the bed. Then he lay down and gathered Ianto to him, bundling him up in the duvet and tucking him against his chest. After a while, he toed off his shoes and crawled underneath the duvet with Ianto, sharing warmth and cocooning them against the world.

He ignored the Doctor softly telling them good-bye and the TARDIS leaving.

He ignored Owen coming in to tell him that John had left.

He ignored the ache in his heart when he realized that John leaving meant he would probably never know what he did to deserve such hate from someone he'd called a friend. He would never know exactly why they took his memories.

He ignored Gwen's offer to have lunch, then her offer to have dinner – her plea to eat anything at all. And he also ignored the quiet voices of their friends in the living room, clearly wondering what they should do about the two men in Gwen's bedroom.

His world narrowed down to just this bed, this man in his arms. Ianto's even breaths when he slept, his heaving sobs and pained tears when the grief hit, the soft words of comfort when Jack cried. Nothing else was important.

Jack doubted that anything else ever could be again.

END

02/12


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